At first glance, this curatorial oversight is hardly surprising. After all, Picasso was an atheist and Communist supporter whose ever-shifting practice seemed to chafe against centuries of religious art. Indeed, in a well-known episode from the 1940s, Picasso personally confronted Henri Matisse for accepting the Vence chapel commission.
The festival of Pailhasses is one of France's most ancient carnival traditions. Celebrating the end of a longstanding rivalry with a neighbouring village, it has for more than 700 years allowed villagers to release frustrations before Lent. Its rituals are about strength, chasing and some form of attack. It is also notoriously secretive.
Dating to the 1st-2nd century A.D., the bronzes are about 20 inches long and mounted to rectangular bases. They capture the little girls in dynamic movement, frozen in the act of propelling themselves forward, their fingers splayed wide on each side of the partridges just about to catch them. The craftsmanship is superior, every detail on the toddlers and partridges realistically depicted with fine materials. The eyes are inlaid with white stones and one of the girls still has her metal irises.
"Ronda is considered one of Spain's most beautiful cities due to its spectacular location, the deep ravine (Tajo), and the surrounding mountains, called Serranía de Ronda," says Maike Ange, a tour guide specializing in Andalusia. Puente Nuevo, or the "New Bridge," is one of the town's three bridges traversing the 400-foot gorge, which splits Ronda into El Mercadillo ("New Town") and La Ciudad ("Old Town"). The dramatic views, however, are still just a sliver of the destination's appeal.