The Ladies, Duennas and Children’s Chambers are the rooms in the house given over to the repose and private activities of the ladies (adult women), duennas (old women) and small children. This is an eminently female realm, divided into three apartments: the private area for washing and dressing; women and children’s sleeping quarters; and the estrado del cariño or private parlour. This reflects the domestic structure of the period, governed as it was by hierarchy, which was embodied by the head of the house, delegated to his spouse as housekeeper, echoed in their offspring and ultimately in the servants’ ranks, with duennas supervising the domestic duties of the maids.
The first room is the estrado del cariño or private parlour, with the bed and cradle evoking Cervantes’ birth. This was where the lady of the house would take her ease, but also entertain her visitors, receive her husband, do handicrafts, read,…
Spanish Audio guide
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- Dormitorio
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- Cristo crucificado de madera, sobre marco dorado, siglo XVII
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- Dormitorio
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- Mesa-bufetillo castellana, siglo XVII
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- Arca castellana de pergamino, siglo XVI
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- Arqueta de madera, Castilla, siglo XVI
