Emilio Castelar Letter in Miniature Calligraphy - Gutiérrez de la Monja

Miniature calligraphic work by Luis Gutiérrez de la Monja, of the late 19th century: the dedication of Emilio Castelar to Telesforo García in his Historia del descubrimiento de América (1892), nearly 5,000 words and 23,000 characters, copied in full in two columns of 1.2 x 6.1 in (3 x 15.5 cm), set within an arched frontispiece with columns of Mudejar design drawn in pen.

Telesforo García (Cantabria, 1844 - Mexico City, 1918) was a Spanish emigrant of great standing among the intellectuals of the Porfiriato, and his friendship and correspondence with Castelar led the latter to dedicate that work to him. Hardly any other work by Gutiérrez de la Monja is known, one documented in 1893: the complete copy of Zorrilla's Margarita la Tornera, 2,816 verses written on a strip of paper one meter long by fifteen millimeters wide that was kept inside a hazelnut.

Medium: Miniature calligraphy in pen and wash on paper.
Artist / after: Luis Gutiérrez de la Monja.
Date: Late 19th century, after 1892.
Dimensions: Two columns of text, each 1.2 x 6.1 in (3 x 15.5 cm).
Condition: Good condition. Framed in a period ebonized frame with a gilt inner edge.