Architecture and Royal Presence: Domenico and Giulio Cesare Fontana in Spanish Naples (1592-1627)
Author: Sabina de Cavi
Date Of Publication: Jun 2009
Isbn13: 978-1-4438-0180-5
Isbn: 1-4438-0180-1
This book offers the first interpretation of Spanish architectural patronage in Naples during the reigns of Philip II and Philip III of Spain. The principal architecutral protagonists are Domenico Fontana (1543-1607) and his son Giulio Cesare (1580-1627), whose projects in Naples and Spain are set within the context of the cultural politics of the Monarquia Hispánica. Rather than being seen as resistant to habsburg imperialism, Naples ("the most loyal city") actually participated, on a number of different levels, in the imperial program of the monarchy. While focusing on engineering and secular architecture, this book also takes related projects into account, such as commissions for major public sculptures and one fresco cycle, as well as the restoration and reuse of existing monuments and spaces. In this book, Sabina de Cavi discusses the evolution of Neapolitan architecture in ca. 1600 in relation to Rome, Palermo and Madrid, and in doing so casts light on the local process behind public commissions, and suggests a tentative explanation for the delayed flowering of Baroque architecture in Naples.

Sabina de Cavi is an art historian and free-lance curator specializing in Renaissance and Baroque art and architecture, particularly in Southern Europe. The recipient of fellowships at the Istituto Italiano di Studi Storici in Naples, Columbia University, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, and the Bibliotheca Hertziana in Rome, she published extensively on the Italian Baroque, and curated an exhibition of eighteenth century Neapolitan Nativity Scenes ("presepi") at the Kimbell Museum in Fort Worth in 2008-09. Her focus has recently shifted to Sicily and court etiquette in Spanish Italy. From September 2009 to June 2010 she will be postdoctoral individual fellow at the VLAC (Vlaams Academisch Centrum), Centre for Advanced Studies of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts, Brussels with a new project on the Renaissance master of ceremonies Miguel Diéz de Aux.

"This is a provocative new study of Spanish architectural patronage in seventeenth century Naples. Focusing especially on the reign of Philip III and the Spanish Royal Palace, the book is as much about the rich historical context and political motives behind the building projects as it is about the buildings and architects themselves. It is almost certain to stir up some productive controversy among art historians and historians alike about the cultural legacy of Spanish influence in Naples and Italy more broadly."

- Thomas Dandelet, Associate Professor of History, University of California, Berkeley

“Sabina de Cavi’s Architecture and Royal Presence: Domenico and Giulio Cesare Fontana in Spanish Naples (1592-1627) is an exemplary interdisciplinary study of the relationship between politics and art history. No finer or more vivid investigation exists of the role of the Spanish viceroyalty in Neapolitan architecture during its formative years. It offers an unparalleled examination of the viceregal claims to legitimacy, casts brilliant light on the relationship between architecture, etiquette and ceremonial, and makes clear the critical role played in these developments by the remarkable architecture of Domenico and Giulio Cesare Fontana.”

– David Freedberg, Pierre Matisse Professor of the History of Art, Columbia University

“The book offers the means for reflection on the role of Naples as a capital city. The subject of the research is not only the architecture and public spaces of Spanish Naples, but also the complex relationships between the Spanish court, vice-regal power and symbolic manifestations of sovereignty. Architectural space is determined by ceremonial exigencies and aims to project the image of a court desirous to celebrate its royal character.”

- Giovanni Muto, Università degli Studi FEderico II, Naples

“Sabina de Cavi’s examination of Neapolitan architecture in a viceregal context offers a fine consideration of cultural and political exchange between Spain and Italy. Her interpretation of Neapolitan monuments as state architecture rather than the projects of individual patrons is especially commendable, as it contributes to an evolving view of Spanish Habsburg imperial policy.”

- Jesús Escobar, Associate Professor, Department of Art History, Northwestern University, USA

"Architecture and Royal Presence examines in depth the history of Renaissance Naples under Habsburg rule. During the reign of Philip II and his Spanish Viceroys, Naples became a thriving city only second to Paris. This book offers a unique, lively view of Habsburg patronage, architecture and culture in Naples between 1560 and 1627."

- Annemarie Jordan Gschwend, Independent Research Scholar

Price Uk Gbp: 59.99
Price Us Usd: 89.99

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