Bartolomé, the Infanta’s Pet

For the November 2012 edition of Books for Keeps, I reviewed a historical novel about a dwarf at the court of the Spanish Infanta in the Netherlands. It was the first time in 40 years that I had encountered a historical story about a dwarf, but here is another one!

The cover portrays the painting of the Spanish Infanta, daughter of Philip IV, by Diego Velazquez, and Bartolomé ends up as a plaything to this very spoilt little girl. His father is a coachman to the Infanta, and when the family are offered accommodation within the court, Juan wants to leave Bartolomé behind, ashamed of his son who is not only a dwarf but severely deformed. Isobel Bartolomé’s mother persuades her husband to take the boy with them on the understanding that he will hide so as never to be seen by anyone else. Bartolomé finds this hard and when his brother tells him he has seen a dwarf as secretary at the court, he decides he must learn to read and write. His brother Joaquim carries him secretly to the monastery where Bartolomé learns his letters. But when Bartolome accidentally falls out of the basket in which he has been carried he is seen by the Infanta who wants him as her ‘human dog’. This humiliating move has to be carried out, but Bartolomé makes friends in Velasquez’s studio and his talent for drawing earns him an escape.

This is an affecting portrayal of a severely disabled child at a time when children such as Bartolomé were hidden away, often considered the work of the devil. The jealousies and politics of the Spanish court are clearly described, but also the humanity of people who saw beyond the disability. There are many details of court life and in particular the artists’ studio where Bartolome’s make-up for his role as a dog is applied, and where he learns he can do something else.

The author works with handicapped children and her understanding of them comes through in the text, which has been well translated, and makes for a very readable and thought provoking novel.