Trinidad Museo Romantico
About Museo Romantico
These typical Trinidadian style urns are resting on the roof of Palacio Brunet. This grand two-storey residence in front of Casa Ortiz and Plaza Mayor was built by Don Josè Mariano Borrell y Padrón in1812.
The Royal Crown here above the main door announces with obvious fanfare that this mansion was home to nobility and as such the Museo Romantico (Romantic Museum) is packed with delights and surprises from its past ancestral linage of wealth that accompanied the Spanish colonial families here.
The stairs are made of marble and bordered with wood. Just before the top is another royal insignia and coat of arms. There doesn’t appear to be any family name or identity on it. In any case, it would seem only sensible to expect this to belong to the Brunet or Borrell linage.
Although built by Don Borrell during the same time as he constructed Palacio Cantero the house passed to his daughter Angela Josefa but it’s not indicated whether he gave it as a gift or left it to her.
Some of the architectural strong points here include arches, wrought iron balconies and beautifully designed handrails. The overhanging corridors above the patio are particularly elegant and connect each side of the building providing greater freedom of movement and privacy.
Shortly after the house was built Angela married Nicolás de la Cruz Brunet y Muñoz. In 1836 Nicolás became the Count of the Casa Brunet and it appears that after attaining his title Count Brunet rebuilt the front of this mansion adding a different style and architectural features. The façade for example reflects 19th century elements such as the traditional urns and wrought iron railings. On the other hand, internally, the patio displays some 18th century features. There’s little to see now on the ground floor as all the exhibits are displayed upstairs.
Marble floors throughout the rooms display chess board like designs and are accompanied with antique furniture. Among the many items on the tables and old cupboards are valuable jewellery, colourful porcelain, examples of silversmith’s craft, sculptures and decorative objects belonging to the Spanish nobility. Ivory adorns a few priceless cabinets which also contain more exhibits imported from far afield or perhaps picked up along journeys through Asia and the Americas.
Typical Trinidadian elements can also be seen in the various closets adorned with elegantly designed doors and the fan rib design used in the fanlights of the gallery’s arches. These fan rib designs call to mind Havana’s stained glass windows that are in fact more aesthetic looking. However, the artistic weakness of the Trinidadian style ones are balanced by their high distinction for ventilation.
References
Connor Gorry, Lonely Planet – Cuba, Italy 2004, pp35-37.
Juan de las Cuevas Toraya, 500 Años De Construcciones En Cuba, Havana 2001, p146.