Santa Maria La Blanca, Toledo
c. 1903
Medium
Oiled charcoal with erasing and stumping, heightened with touches of white gouache, on cream wove paper, perimeter mounted on off-white wood pulp laminate board
Dimensions
28.3 × 21.7 cm (11 3/16 × 8 9/16 in.)
Classification
charcoal
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
116004
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Joseph Pennell's *Santa Maria La Blanca,* (c. 1903) captures the ethereal beauty of one of Spain's most treasured architectural gems: the 12th-century synagogue in Toledo, a rare surviving example of Mudéjar style blending Islamic, Christian, and Jewish influences. Pennell, a prominent American printmaker and illustrator active in the late 19 and early 20th, was renowned for his meticulous yet atmospheric depictions of global landmarks. Inspired by travels across Europe, he documented sites like this historic synagogue-turned-church with a keen eye for light, shadow, and architectural drama, aligning with the era's fascination for exotic Gothic and Moorish wonders. This intimate drawing, measuring just 28.3 × 21.7 cm, showcases Pennell's virtuoso technique in oiled charcoal—a medium he favored for its painterly richness. By oiling the charcoal, he achieved velvety tones and depth; erasing, stumping (blending with a tool), and heightening with white gouache added luminous highlights and subtle textures on cream wove paper. Mounted on wood pulp board, it exemplifies the preparatory sketches Pennell made for his lithographs, bridging drawing and printmaking traditions. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, this work invites visitors to ponder Toledo's multicultural past—once a vibrant hub of convivencia—through Pennell's masterful lens, evoking the synagogue's graceful horseshoe arches and serene spirituality.
About the Artist
Joseph Pennell · 1857–1926
Joseph Pennell (1857–1926) was born in Philadelphia to Quaker parents and displayed an early aptitude for drawing, finding solace in sketching amid a challenging childhood. He received initial drawing instruction from James R. Lambdin and his first etching lessons from Stephen Ferris in 1879. Pennell attended night classes at the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art before studying at ...