A Royal Nursery
The little heir to the Spanish throne has v begun his ; babyhood in a suite of rooms "arranged witirely uflcr the fancy of his royal mother. Spanish etiquette re-"- . quires her to conform to ideas other than her own on nios't points, hut in the fitting of the nursery her word' is law.-.. The furnishing, decorating, and entire arrangement are Engjlish, and offer everything that ;• coaild possibly conduce to a baby.'s health and happi- . ness. " The suite, directly over the queen's apartments, on _ the sunny side of the palace, consists of living-room, dining-room, bedrooms' for the baby and head nurse, bath and sewing-*oom. The living-room is decorated in green and white, with showers of little pink rosettes. The vaulted ceiling is enamelled in white, and round the walls "runs a frieze of animals in Noahs-ark-like procession. . Light green shades temper the sunshine. The angles of furniture and walls are all softly rounded, so the approved method -of standing, a naughty ohild^in the corner face to the wall could hardly be ' adopted in this case. the -exception of the rosecolored English carpets, everything An" the suite is washable. The wide window-sills are cozily cushioned ;. an iron lattice, light and lace-like, but very strong, secures the windows -from without. In the . bedroom three large paintings represent • ' Morning,',,' Noon,' and 'Night.' The- -first is a sunshiny, picture of a bfeby awakening in his little bed. ' Noon ' shows him busy with porringer and spotm, and in ' Night ' he has folded his chubby • hands in prayer before going to sleep. 7 The , woodwork is white enamelled, and round the"--ceiling a frieze of, dancing children charms the eye, as does the exquisite tint and design of the blue and white tiling- of, the fireplace. The little prince sleeps in the cradle -that' rocked . father and (grandfather before him. It is a stately - affair,' resting on four Corinthian supports. It wasT formerly curtained in the richest lade, flowing from beneath a Spanish crown ; but the young queen mother had the crown removed, lest it fall and .injure the. • royal "sleeper below ; and the lace curtains were suppressed to allow freer access of air. The cradle linen shows embroidery of fairy-like fineness, the outer coverlets being worked with butterflies, « and roises in. white silk. , ' The dining-room furniture is white mahogany, with. . the royal arms of Spain skilfully inlaid in each piece. 1 Throughout, simplicity and good taste distinguish this ideal- dwelling for a. young child. i ' The rooms are considered the best-ventilated! in all Madrid, for the young queen inherits her love of frc>h' air.fromi her grandmother, the Ut?- Q<iei'ti Victoria of England. " " •'
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZT19080130.2.53
Bibliographic details
New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3, 30 January 1908, Page 30
Word Count
438A Royal Nursery New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3, 30 January 1908, Page 30
Using This Item
See our copyright guide for information on how you may use this title.