Drawings from the Apprentices' Workshop at the Royal Artillery Factory in Seville

This selection of drawings forms part of the documentary collections of the Artillery Factory in Seville.

The Sevillian factory, renowned for its production of bronze, was established by the Morel family in around 1565. It was located on two sites in the San Bernardo area of the city.

These works reflect the efforts that the Factory put into education, as well as the technical knowledge acquired by students through line drawing and freehand drawing. Apprentices joined the workshop at 12 years old and underwent a period of training that lasted 4 years.

Over time, the workshop would become the Escuela de Formación Profesional Obrera de la Fundición (Professional Training College for Foundry Workers).

In 1634, the Factory became the property of the Spanish Treasury and, with this, began the system of "asentistas" which saw the smelters being contracted to work at the factory through ten-year long "asientos" or contracts.

The "asentista" system came to an end in 1717, when the era of Directors began. Artillery commanders took charge of the Factory, with smelters becoming technicians and the management being militarized.

Following the Napoleonic invasion, the Factory was occupied by the French, who commandeered it for their own use. The management and officials of the Artillery left, returning once the French had retreated, and the Directors once again took charge of the running of the factory.

A law passed on February 6, 1932 included the Factory in the "Consortium of Military Industries" whose functions were regulated by a law passed on March 9, 1935. It became a Section of the Ministry of War, which would last until 1936.

With a law passed July 30, 1959, the Factory passed into the hands of the Empresa Nacional Santa Bárbara de Industrias Militares (Santa Bárbara National Company of Military Industries), part of the Instituto Nacional de Industria (National Institute for Industry). The company assumed responsibility for running the factory under specific conditions, although the Army still had overall control.