Manuscrit autographe du chapitre XI du Voyage d'Espagne "Boire de l'eau est une volupté que je n'ai connue qu'en Espagne"

Admirable set of four manuscript fragments of chapter XI of the Voyage d'Espagne which exposes behind the scenes of Gautier's writing which, guided by the romantic taste for the picturesque, relates his stays in Madrid and Ocaña and his passages by La Guardia and Tembleque .
Gautier adopts an astonishing working format revealing the intimate / particular process of writing where flying sheets of different sizes, very tight writing and corrections, and inks of different colors come together.
Originally intended for a publication in the press, Gautier's article, itself seduced by Spanish exoticism, satisfies the search for picturesque then at its peak in France: " The perpetual carousel of the fans that open, close throb and flap like butterflies trying to land; the elbow movements of the women grouping themselves in their mantillas and correcting the inflection of an unsightly fold; the glances launched from one cross to the other to the people of knowledge; the pretty nod of the head and the graceful gesture which accompanies the agur by which the senhoras reply to the horsemen who salute them; the colorful crowd intertwined with Gallegos , Pasiegas , Valencians, Manolas and water vendors "
Gautier establishes links between known references to Spain: Don Quixote and finds picaresque resonances in the adventures he saw: They were men
Beyond the simple satisfaction of the public, Gautier offers a glimpse of the Spanish character and bon vivant: sobriety and the patience of the Spaniards to endure fatigue is something that is prodigious. They remained Arabs on this point. One can not go further than the oblivion of material life. But these soldiers, who lacked bread and shoes, had a guitar.