Mildred Stapley Byne (1875-1941) was an American art historian who specialized in Spanish art and architecture. With her husband Arthur Byne (1883-1935), whom she married in 1910,[1] she wrote many of the first academic works in English on the architecture and ironwork of Spanish colonial North America.[2]
Byne's first noted essay on "The Great Queen Isabel" was published in Harper's Monthly Magazine in June 1912.[1][3] Her most famous book is Christopher Columbus, a popular biography that brought new research done in Spanish to English-speaking audiences.[4] Seventeen editions have been published between 1915 and 2012.[5]
Both members of the couple were corresponding members of the Hispanic Society of America,[6] and served as curators of architecture and applied arts from 1916 to 1921.[1] In 1921, the Bynes ended their relationship with the HSA and settled permanently in Madrid.[1]
Through their friend Julia Morgan, the couple helped American collector William Randolph Hearst acquire Spanish art and decorative items.[7] After 1921, the Bynes established themselves as dealers.[1] They also served as historical consultants for Spanish colonial and colonial-style houses in California.[8]
Their work was widely praised, and one reviewer wrote of one of their books: "A book like this is a stimulant to the creative faculty."[9]
In 1931, couple bought a home in Madrid built in 1885 by Don Manuel Caldero, the Marqués de Salamanca.[10] It was purchased by the United States government in 1944 and now serves as an American diplomatic building.[11] In 2006, the building was added to the Register of Culturally Significant Property.[11]
The couple's last name is often misspelled as "Byrne" or "Bryne."[9]
Publications
"The City of Towers," Harper's Monthly Magazine, October 1911.[12]
"The Great Queen Isabella," Harper's Monthly Magazine, June 1912.[3]
Rejería of the Spanish Renaissance (New York: The Hispanic Society of America, 1914), with Arthur Byne[13]
Spanish Ironwork (New York: The Hispanic Society of America, 1915), with Arthur Byne[14][15]
Christopher Columbus (New York: The MacMillan Company, 1915)[4]
Spanish Architecture of the 16th Century (New York: G. P. Putnam and Sons, 1917), with Arthur Byne[9]
Translation of Orestes Ferrera, Causes and pretexts of the world war: a searching examination into the play and counterplay of European politics from the Franco-Prussian war to the outburst of the great world war (New York: American-Neo-Latin Library, 1918)[16]
Spanish Interiors and Furniture: Photographs and Drawings, vol. 1 (New York: Architectural Book Pub. Co., c. 1921-1922)
Decorated Wooden Ceilings in Spain (New York: G. P. Putnam and Sons, 1920), with Arthur Byne[17]
Spanish Interiors and Furniture, vol. 2 (New York: William Helburn, Inc., 1922), with Arthur Byne[6]
Popular Weaving and Embroidery in Spain (New York: William Helburn, Inc., 1924)[18]
Provincial Houses in Spain (New York: W. Helburn Inc., 1925), with Arthur Byne
Forgotten Shrines of Spain (New York(?): J. B. Lippincott and Co., 1926)[19]
Important mediaeval and early Renaissance works of art from Spain: sculptures, furniture, textiles, tapestries, and rugs: collection of Conde de las Almenas, Madrid, Spain (New York : American Art Association, 1927), with Arthur Byne and Ercole Canessa.[20]
The Sculptured Capital in Spain: a Series of Examples Dating from the Sixth to the Sixteenth Century (New York: William Helburn, Inc., 1928)
Spanish Gardens and Patios (New York(?): J. B. Lippincott and Co., 1928)[21]
Majorcan Houses and Gardens: A Spanish Island in the Mediterranean (New York: William Helburn, Inc., 1928), with Arthur Byne[22]
The couple was the subject of an unpublished thesis by Victoria Rodriguez Thiessen, Byne and Stapley: Scholars, Dealers, and Collectors of Spanish Decorative Arts (Thesis (M.A.)--Cooper-Hewitt Museum and Parsons School of Design, 1998). Online catalogue record.
