bordas1995, En 1638 hizo una guitarra de tamaño mediano de “hevano de Portugal… el suelo tumbado y acanelado” (Englis trad. en romanillos2002, App. 20.)
Ayala “Violeros malagueños”: instrumentos del violero madrileño Manuel de Vega construidos para la Casa Real (valorados entre los 3 y los 50 ducados)
romanillos2002, 415-417 has an extensive biography:
Vega, Manuel de (b.c. l580 - d. 1657). In 1622 Pablo de Herrera declared in his will that after Manuel de Vega had been married to his daughter Francisca de Herrera for one year he had persuaded him to give up his job, move into his residence and work in his shop as a violero with the opportunity of becoming a violero for the Royal Household. Manuel de Vega moved in with his goods and chattels. Pablo de Herrera declared that Manuel de Vega was a good and willing son and named him as an executor. He also instructed that he should be consulted if there were any queries about outstanding debts. He bequeathed to Manuel de Vega his black cloak with a velvet collar (declaro que Manuel de Vega, mi hierno, marido de Francisca de Herrera, mi hija, me ha sido muy buen hijo y muy obediente y yo quisiera tener mucho con que se lo agradezco, porque a un año de como se caso con mi hija a mi persuasion dejo su oficio y se vino a mi casa tratando de mi exercicio y asistiendo y trabajando en la tienda a fin de que quedase en mi oficio o en otro en la Casa Real y trajo sus bienes muebles.... en cuanto a otras deudas que me deven me remito a lo que tiene asentado Manuel de Vega, mi hierno....al cual dicho Manuel de Vega se le de un ferreruelo de paño negro mio con cuello de terciopelo). [AHPM, 27-07-1622, Prot: 2740, folios 516-21r.] In 1628 Manuel de Vega, violero to the King, authorized Pedro Soarez Sánchez, a citizen of Lisbon, to buy ebony, rosewood and four ivory tusks in his and the King's name. All the materials were to be used in his workshop (treinta arovas de palo de evano y doce arovas de palo santo y quatro colmillos de marfil todo para gastar en mi tienda). [[AHPM, Carta de Poder, 17-06-1628, Prot: 2746, folios 435-36] In 1628 Manuel de Vega paid 1,590 reales vellon as the final payment on a loan of 2,000 reales. [AHPM, Carta de Pago, 11-10-1628, Prot: 3922, folios 228r]. In 1631 Manuel de Vega was fifty-one years old and living with his father-in-law, Pablo de Herrera, in a house in calle de Carretas, Madrid.[ AHPM, 30-03-1631, Prot: 6089, folio 338.] He was appointed violero to the King's Household on 13 June 1635 (violero de camara de S.M.) to replace Pablo de Herrera and was sworn in on 19 August in the same year. [AGPRM, 13-06- 1635, Expedientes personales, Ca 1075.] Manuel de Vega gave power of attorney to Juan de Rivadeneyra as he had a lawsuit pending in 1653 with the violero Antonio de Zulueta. [AHPM, Poder, 11-09-1653, Prot: 5438, folios 124r.] In 1653 Andrés Serrano, Francisco Méndez and Manuel de Vega objected to a decision by the courts to allow Manuel Otáñez to keep his shop open without having been examined. [AHNM, Consejos, 22-09- 1653, book 1238e, folios 229-30.] [see entry for Francisco Méndez]. In 1654 Manuel de Vega took on thirteen year old
p 416.
Juan Rodríguez de Prado as an apprentice for a period of six years. The apprentice had to live with his master during his apprenticeship and on completion of his apprenticeship he had to be paid 200 reales vellon to buy himself clothing of his own choice. [AHPM, Asiento de Oficio, 16-03-1654, Prot: 5438, folios 36r]. In 1655 Manuel de Vega gave power of attorney to Pedro Velutí del Saro to receive a payment of 19,735 maravedies on his behalf [AHPM, 8-01-1655, Prot: 5438, folio 5]. In 1655, two years before his death, Manuel de Vega took on thirteen year-old Lucas González, son of the widowed Isabel García, as an apprentice for the period of six years to teach him the craft of biolero and guitarrero. At the end of the six year period he had to give the apprentice 200 reales vellon or buy him clothing for that amount [AHPM, 31-05-1655, Prot: 5438, folios 60r]. Manuel de Vega and his wife Francisca de Herrera made their will on 30 December 1656 with the notary Pedro de Ugarte. They had no children. The witnesses to this document were: the violero Antonio de Zulueta; Francisco Méndez who worked in the shop as a journeyman (oficial de violero que travaxa en la tienda de los otorgantes); Alexandro de Zulueta who was an apprentice and a servant in the shop (oficial aprendiz del dicho oficio criado de los otorgantes) and the journeyman Francisco Fernandez (oficial del dicho oficio) [AHPM, Testamento, 30-12-1656, Prot: 5438, folios 165-69r.]. Manuel de Vega died on 31 July 1657 [AGPRM, Empleos, Ca 659] and his widow requested that Antonio de Zulueta's name should be entered in the Palace register to receive the due benefits of violero to the Royal Chapel [AHPM, 8-08-1657, Prot: 9144, folio 789]. In a document drawn up in 1657 it was stated that Francisca de Herrera had made a loan of 2,000 reales to Manuel Martín and Isabel de Vega [AHPM, 26-10-1657, Prot: 8062, folio 860. AC (1978)]. Agustín Ximenez, treasurer for the Royal Chapel, made a payment to Francisca de Herrera of 1,139 maravedies vellon on 22 February 1658 for work carried out by her late husband in the last four months of 1654. On the same day she received 30,396 maravedies vellon for services rendered by Manuel de Vega to the King [AHPM, 22-02-1658, Prot: 9458, folios 159-61r] and on 9 January 1659 a further payment of 27,676 maravedies vellon for work carried out in the period 1652-53 [AHPM, 9-01-1659, Prot: 9459, folios l9r]. In 1659 the sum of 1811_ reales was claimed to be still owing for services carried out by her late husband in 1643. Francisca de Herrera declared her husband had worked for the King for more than forty years and that he had died following the loss of his property and its contents in a fire in calle de Carretas [AS (1986), pp. 494-95]. In 1665 Francisca de Herrera was paid 18,224 maravedies vellon by the treasurer for the Royal Chapel which was owing to her late husband for the year 1648 [AHPM, 19-05-1665, Prot: 9465, nf]. Francisca de Herrera died on 27 December 1677. She made her will with the notary Rodrigo Correiro y Real leaving her two sisters, Manuela and María, heiresses to her estate [APSCMD, book 9, folios 145r]. In 1635 Manuel de Vega had made a tiple for his Royal patrons with the back and ribs of ebony from Portuga1, ebony and ivory bindings, pasted inlays on the soundboard and the back, the Royal coat of arms inlaid in the fingerboard and with a carved and fretted rose in ebony from Portugal with silver and gold inlays. The tiple was valued at 30 ducats. In the same year he made another tiple with the back and ribs in cedar and mahogany which had the figure of a sun around the soundhole. The floral ornaments, purflings and fingerboard were all of ebony. It was valued at 10 ducats. In 1636 he made a fluted guitar in ebony from Portugal. The coat of arms, a rope pattern and bindings were of ebony and ivory. The rose was made of boxwood and the ebony fingerboard, with pasted bindings, was inlaid with a gradated Royal coat of arms within a shield. It was valued at 24 ducats. Manuel de Vega made a guitar for King Felipe IV of Spain in 1654 which had the bindings, points, fingerboard, floral ornaments and bridge all of ebony (de perfiles y puntos y plantilla de ebano y flor y remate y puente i caracolilios todo de ebano). It was valued at 22 reales [BS (1995), pp. 60-61]