1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910779237403321

Autore

Kamen Henry

Titolo

The Escorial : art and power in the Renaissance / / Henry Kamen

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New Haven : , : Yale University Press, , 2010

ISBN

0-300-16825-X

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (xv, 291 pages)

Disciplina

946/.41

Soggetti

Renaissance - Spain - San Lorenzo del Escorial

Monasteries - Spain - San Lorenzo del Escorial - History - 16th century

Palaces - Spain - San Lorenzo del Escorial - History - 16th century

Historic buildings - Spain - San Lorenzo del Escorial

Art and society - Spain - San Lorenzo del Escorial - History - 16th century

Architecture and society - Spain - San Lorenzo del Escorial - History - 16th century

Power (Social sciences) - Spain - San Lorenzo del Escorial - History - 16th century

San Lorenzo del Escorial (Spain) History 16th century

San Lorenzo del Escorial (Spain) Buildings, structures, etc

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- ILLUSTRATIONS -- CHRONOLOGY -- PREFACE -- Chapter 1: Genesis -- Chapter 2: The Battle -- Chapter 3: Foundation -- Chapter 4: The Magic Temple of Wisdom -- Chapter 5: The Prisoner of the Escorial -- Chapter 6: A Brace of Eagles: Images of Power and Monarchy -- Chapter 7: The Hall of Battles -- Chapter 8: Powerhouse of Faith -- Chapter 9: Inventing the Escorial -- Abbreviations -- Notes -- Select Bibliography -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

Few buildings have played so central a role in Spain's history as the monastery-palace of San Lorenzo del Escorial. Colossal in size and imposing-even forbidding-in appearance, the Escorial has invited and defied description for four centuries. Part palace, part monastery, part mausoleum, it has also served as a shrine, a school, a repository for thousands of relics, and one of the greatest libraries of its time.



Constructed over the course of more than twenty years, the Escorial challenged and provoked, becoming for some a symbol of superstition and oppression, for others a "wonder of the world." Now a World Heritage Site, it is visited by thousands of travelers every year.In this intriguing study, Henry Kamen looks at the circumstances that brought the young Philip II to commission construction of the Escorial in 1563. He explores Philip's motivation, the influence of his travels, the meaning of the design, and its place in Spanish culture. It represents a highly engaging narrative of the high point of Spanish imperial dominance, in which contemporary preoccupations with art, religion, and power are analyzed in the context of this remarkable building.