Antonio Magaz

Antonio Magaz y Pers, 2nd Marquess of Magaz (21 June 1864 – 13 October 1953) was a Spanish naval officer, politician and diplomat. He served as vice president of the second Military Directory during the dictatorship of General Miguel Primo de Rivera (1923–1925) and a gentilhombre de cámara con ejercicio to King Alfonso XIII. He is mentioned in various sources as Marquess of Magaz or Admiral Magaz.

He married María de los Ángeles Fernández de Henestrosa y Fuentes-Bustillo (Madrid, 1863 – Madrid, 1934), and was the father of Juan, Jaime, Carlos, Antonio and Andrés Magaz y Fernández de Henestrosa. His grandson, Antonio Magaz y Sangro (Madrid, January 1926 – Santander, 12 June 1984) (son of Juan, who was shot on 7 November 1936 in Cárcel Modelo in Madrid) succeeded him as 3rd .

Biography He was the son of Juan Magaz y Jaime (Calatayud, 1823 – Madrid, 1901), 1st Marquess of Magaz, and Leonor Pers y Girandón. In 1878 he entered the Fleet Naval School aboard the frigate Asturias. In 1880 he was promoted to midshipman and, in 1884, to lieutenant. In his first years of service he sailed on the corvettes Ferrolana, Tornado and María de Molina, and on the frigates Blanca, Carmen, Zaragoza, Gerona and Lealtad.

In 1892, as a lieutenant, he participated in the recreation of the first voyage of Christopher Columbus, carried out by a replica of the carrack Santa María, on the 400th anniversary of the voyage. He later took command of the gunboats Mac Mahón (1900) and Temerario (1909). In 1915 he went on to command the training corvette Nautilus and, the following year, he briefly directed the Naval Military Academy. He was later a prosecutor at the Supreme Council of War and Navy, and later went on to command the battleship España. He was later ambassador to Berlin (1937–1940) and Buenos Aires (1940–1943).

Holy See In 1936, he was commissioned by the National Defense Junta of Burgos to obtain the assent as ambassador to the Holy See; this was denied since the Holy See only recognized the representative of the Republican government, Luis de Zulueta, as ambassador. Finally, on 30 September, in the absence of the ambassador, Magaz took control of the seat and the following day raised the monarchical flag. The Holy See never officially recognized him, although finally, when Magaz was assigned to Berlin, it ended up recognizing his successor, Pedro de Churruca y Dotes. Likewise, on 4 July 1939, he presented Adolf Hitler, at the Reich Chancellery, three paintings by Ignacio Zuloaga, offered on behalf of Francisco Franco.

He developed an interesting activity in the acquisition of decorative objects and works of art for the future embassy, coinciding with a turbulent time in the art market due to the decision of the German government to consider most of the works of art of the avant-garde movements as degenerate art , with the consequent depreciation of their value.

The Marquessate's connection with the artistic avant-garde continued with his successor, Antonio Magaz y Sangro, author of a study on the painting of Fernando Zóbel.