The Fandango Dance and a Spanish Bullfight, Hand Colored Lithograph, 1842

An original antique lithograph, hand colored, from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). The upper image shows the fandango danced outdoors: at left a young man in a red jacket, white shirt, green breeches and boots leaps with castanets raised, facing a woman in a blue bodice, pink skirt and patterned headscarf who also holds castanets above her head, a cross hanging at her neck. At right an old woman in a white veil leans on a tall staff with a rosary in her hand, and beside her sits a man in a red head cloth and blue coat holding a guitar, under a tree near a stone post with a ball finial. The lower image shows a bullring with a wooden barrier: in front a bullfighter in a red waistcoat and black jacket faces a spotted bull with a red cape and a blade, while behind him a second bull charges a mounted rider on a rearing horse and a man in a tricorn hat holds out another red cape at right. A hat lies on the sand.

The lettering reads "Tav 8" at upper left, "SPAGNÁ" in the center and "Tom. IV" at upper right. The upper caption reads "Il Ballo Fandango" (The Fandango Dance) and the lower "Caccia dei Tori in Spagna" (Bullfighting in Spain, literally the hunt of the bulls in Spain).

The fandango is a Spanish couple dance in triple time, traditionally accompanied by guitar and castanets. Bullfighting on foot and on horseback in an enclosed ring was the great public spectacle of Spain in this period, and both subjects were standard features of nineteenth century accounts of Spanish life.

The strong reds of the jackets and capes make this plate a lively choice for a kitchen, dining room or study with a Spanish theme.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.