Palacio del Infante Don Luis de Borbón
Ventura Rodríguez was born in Ciempozuelos on 14 July 1717. He was the firstborn of a family that was totally linked to architecture. At the end of 1735, the architect Filippo Juvarra noticed his talent as a draughtsman and took him to work in the Royal Palace of Madrid, where he was promoted to the position of confidant of the king's chief architect. For twenty-five years, his projects and reports have been decisive in the urban planning of the Court and his figure has become increasingly prominent. The death of Fernando VI and the accession of Carlos III removed him from the royal works in favor of Sabatini. This allowed him to devote himself to the service of the city of Madrid and to carry out projects outside the Court, such as the Cathedral of Cuenca, the Basilica del Pilar in Zaragoza, or the works of the Royal Chapel of San Pedro de Alcántara in Arenas de San Pedro. He carried out works for various members of the high aristocracy, including the palaces commissioned by our Infante D. Luis in Boadilla del Monte as well as in Arenas de San Pedro. The Arenas Palace project also includes part of its decoration. Don Luis was familiar with the works of Vicente Gómez, Angelika Kauffmann, and Robert Adam, so he decorated the right wing in English neoclassical style, inspired by the ancient models of Pompeii. He plays with geometric shapes and their perspective, as in the ceilings decorated with an Apollo in his chariot and female representations in oval medallions surrounded by arabesques and garlands of plants. Pale greens, yellows, and Pompeian reds predominate, intensified by darker blues, reds, and golden arabesques. Ventura Rodríguez, in his project for the palace, planned to rhythm the walls with Corinthian pilasters, fireplaces with fluted jambs, mirrors, and bas-reliefs within an ornamentation of English influence. In furniture, he designed convertible seats, “transition” style furniture, chairs, armchairs, and sofas with flat, concave, or octagonal backs on straight legs. It combines the Rococo style still present at the Spanish Court with the most advanced Neoclassicism. Some pieces have Egyptian-inspired ornamentation, typical of the "Directory" style. It includes lictor fasces, rosettes in oval moldings, keyholes, collars, and bronze feet. Don Luís has a preference for mahogany wood, so much of his furniture is made of this material, from chests of drawers or stools to cradles and carts for children. Other furniture such as beds and arches are made of walnut. The Infante also imported furniture from England, such as the box of paintings by Thomas Pitt, which his widow later gave to Goya. For the other rooms and the kitchen, he ordered simpler furniture such as straw chairs. The lamps came from the Royal Glass Factory of La Granja and used wax candles from Bruges. All this shows the eclectic and refined taste of the child, far ahead of the fashion of his time, but without being excessive. His relationship with Ventura Rodríguez must have been excellent since he commissioned Goya to paint a portrait of the architect in 1784, a copy of which can be seen in the main hall of the palace where we are now, as well as the design of the building's plans, walls and various pieces of furniture.