Spanish Craftsmen for the New Norcia Abbey in Western Australia. Part 1, Isidro Oriol, Dorothy Erickson

Vol 44 no 2, May 2022
Article from Vol 44 no 2, May 2022

Spanish Craftsmen for the New Norcia Abbey in Western Australia. Part 1, Isidro Oriol, Dorothy Erickson

Abstract:

Most craftsmen who emigrated to colonial Australia were trained in the English, Scottish, Irish or German traditions. In Western Australia, several Spanish craftsmen were attracted by the monastery established by their compatriot Bendictine monks at New Norcia. Western Australian craftsmen, mostly using jarrah as their timber of choice, in any case were branching in a different direction to furniture makers from the eastern states. Little of the local furniture was marked, but idiosyncratic Spanish techniques and church or family provenance helps in attributing some pieces to these colonists. Dr Dorothy Erickson delves into the history of one of them, Isidro Oriol.

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