This catalogue presents a detailed scholarly account of the Spanish drawings in the collection of The Courtauld Gallery. Ranging in date from the sixteenth to the twentieth century and numbering over a hundred works, the collection is one of the most significant outside Spain. Many of the drawings were initially brought together by the great Hispanist and collector Sir William Stirling Maxwell (1818-1878) and were later bequeathed to The Courtauld by Sir Robert Witt (1872-1952). In addition to works by such celebrated artists as Ribera, Murillo, Goya and Picasso, the collection features a representative selection of drawings from the Golden Age of the Spanish art, including fine examples by Francisco Pacheco, Vicente Carducho, Alonso Cano, Antonio del Castillo and Antonio García Reinoso. Many of these works have never previously been published and they are presented here in the light of important new research.

The catalogue includes reproductions and detailed scholarly analysis of the individual works as well as an essay on the history, theory and practice of Spanish draughtmanship and introductions to individual regional schools.

Zahira Véliz, who holds a doctorate in Art History, is the author of many studies and research papers on Spanish art, including a catalogue raisonné of the drawings of Alonso Cano. She is currently senior paintings conservator at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.