Gayangos’s Legacy: His Son-in-Law Juan Facundo Riaño (1829–1901) and the Victoria and Albert Museum1

Abstract

Juan Facundo Riaño, Gayangos's son-in-law, (1829–1901) served as an advisor to the South Kensington Museum (now Victoria and Albert Museum) on Spanish decorative arts. In May 1870, he was appointed as the Professional Referee to the South Kensington and sent reports on possible acquisitions at the end of almost every month. This chapter is a continuation of the author's 2006 article on Riaño's recommendations for the South Kensington Museum. This chapter is based primarily on the reports held in the Registry at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The aim is to discuss the acquisitions made by South Kensington under Riaños's effort and energy. This chapter also aims to examine further the circumstances under which he was making his recommendations including the problems which sometimes arose because of practical complications and political events. Riaño served as the successor to John Charles Robinson. Although during Riaño's period as a the professional referee, just as Pascual de Gayangos fostered good relations between Britain and Spain in innumerable ways, so his son-in-law Juan Facundo Riaño gave astute and informed advice on works of art in Spain, and indisputably helped to shape the collections of Spanish art in Kensington Museum or what is now the Victoria and Albert Museum.