Manuscrito - Mariano Téllez-Girón. Duque de Osuna. El hombre más rico de España en tiempos de Isabel II. - 1881

A landmark piece in the financial and aristocratic history of Spain and Europe. A unique historical lot that offers a firsthand record of the collapse of the greatest aristocratic empire of the 19th century: the bankruptcy of the Duke of Osuna and Infantado. The lot comprises two extraordinary documents:

1. Original Mortgage Bond Certificate (Madrid, July 31, 1881): Face value of 500 pesetas (bond no. 061.934), from the colossal 43-million-peseta issue secured against all the palaces and estates of the duchy. It retains its engraved ducal coat of arms, stamp duty seal, the Duke’s signature, the Comptroller’s countersignature, and its original series of coupons.

2. Official Handwritten Treasury Statement (April 1882): An internal accounting document entitled “Amount of the floating debt owed by His Excellency’s House as of this date...”, with a detailed record of nearly 8 million pesetas in debts coming due to the leading banks and aristocrats of the day.

The richest man in Spain... and the popular saying “spend more than Osuna”:
The central figure is Mariano Téllez-Girón y Beaufort Spontin (1814–1882), 12th Duke of Osuna and 15th Duke of Infantado. He held 39 noble titles and 20 grandeeships of Spain, and ruled over such vast lands that legend had it he could cross the peninsula from end to end, sleeping only on his own estates. As Isabel II’s ambassador to St. Petersburg, he dazzled the court of Tsar Alexander II with banquets at which gold tableware was thrown into the Neva River, and with carriages drawn by twelve horses wearing silver horseshoes.

Spain’s first major debt issue by a private individual (1881):
After decades of extravagant generosity, legendary parties, and excessive collecting, his fortune collapsed. To avoid immediate seizure of his assets, the Duke and the Bank of Castile devised a desperate, pioneering financial scheme: issue 43 million pesetas in 5% mortgage bonds, open to private investors and secured against all his estates. It was the first and largest bond issue ever launched by a private nobleman in Spanish history.

The drama behind the 1882 manuscript:
The accompanying accounting statement reveals the real, day-to-day financial distress of the Ducal House in its final weeks. Written in April 1882—barely two months before the Duke died suddenly in June, ruined and alone in his castle—it details million-peseta loans owed to prominent figures such as the Marquis of Urquijo (more than 1.3 million pesetas), the Marquis of Portago, and the renowned architect the Marquis of Cubas. After his death, creditors dismantled Spain’s greatest private art and book collection in auctions that shocked the continent.

Excellent pieces, carefully selected.

Ideal for collectors, lovers of antique paper and history, and anyone looking to decorate a space with character.

Period original. A great opportunity, with no reserve price.