Medal of the General Exhibition of Fine Arts of 1908 awarded to Aurelia Navarro

The artist Aurelia Navarro (1882–1968), from Cádiz, entered four canvases, including painting number 560 titled Nude, in the Exposición General (Nacional) de Bellas Artes de 1908 [General (National) Exhibition of Fine Arts of 1908], and was awarded a third-place medal for this painting.

The medal that Aurelia Navarro had won in the 1908 competition, engraved with her name, was kept by her direct heirs. They donated the medal to the Museo del Prado on the occasion of the donation of a work by the artist painted in 1906, Young woman with a paintbrush (Self-portrait of the artist) (P008373). This medal was made by Bartolomé Maura y Montaner, one of the most awarded and renowned engravers from 1866–1900, especially outstanding in the field of portraiture. In 1898 he became Chief Engraver of the Bank of Spain and in 1899 he was appointed Academician at the Real Academia de San Fernando. He was also the art director of the Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre (Spanish Royal Mint) from 1893–1923.

As was customary in most of the medals produced for the various National Exhibitions held since 1856, the obverse shows the busts of the monarchs in profile, alone or accompanied. In this case, the portraits of King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg are superimposed. The king is dressed in uniform, wearing the Golden Fleece decorations and sash, whereas the queen wears a choker and a thrice-draped pearl collar around her neck. On the reverse an allegory of a winged fame is depicted, holding a branch of laurel and a trumpet in her hands. At her feet we see some elements related to painting: a palette with brushes, paper and a frame. The lower central part is taken up by a cartouche bearing the inscription of the award-winning artist, in this case, ‘AURELIA NAVARRO’. It is known to be a third-place medal since it was minted in bronze. As the material of the medals was related to the category of the prize, the first medal was minted in gold, the second in silver and the third in bronze.

In the Museo del Prado collection is a silver specimen with the same characteristics (O001716), although the cartouche for the artist was left empty. This design was used in 1908, after the royal wedding two years earlier, and both the obverse and reverse were used again on the medals awarded at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1910 and 1912.The donation of the medal – in a very good state of preservation – also includes the original 8 x 8 cm case. Its exterior is made of leather and bears the inscription ‘D.a Aurelia Navarro’ in gold lettering, and its interior is made of maroon velvet. It is the only medal awarded to a female painter in the Museo del Prado collections. The canvas Nude – in a private collection as it was not acquired by the State – together with the bronze medal awarded for this purpose, were exhibited in the temporary exhibition organised by the Museo del Prado in 2020, ‘Invitadas. Fragmentos sobre mujeres, ideología y artes plásticas en España (1833–1931)’ [Uninvited Guests. Episodes on Women, Ideology and the Visual Arts in Spain (1833–1931)].

Azcue Brea, Leticia, 'Bartolomé Maura Montaner. Medalla de la Exposición General de Bellas Artes de 1908 concedida a Aurelia Navarro'. en: Memoria de actividades 2021 Museo Nacional del Prado, Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte, 2022, p.82-84