Renacimiento - History Lab

Plan of Benavente and its urban structure in the 16th century

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:25 +0000

The Spanish aristocracy devoted part of its efforts to establishing an urban structure that would identify it as a nobiliary space and would be another part of its propaganda strategy. The ties that bound these power elites obliged them, to a certain extent, to behave in a supportive manner towards the community as part of their social legitimisation. Within this vision, the nobiliary city can be analysed as a material cultural product and as a structuring element of aristocratic power.
During the 16th century, several nobiliary parties tried to exercise power at Court, and their rivalry can be seen in the different cultural features they applied in the cities under their influence: politics, religion and urban structure. Each side systematically applied common architectural criteria in the cities, but these resulted in very different forms of administration and ideologies.
In towns such as Cuéllar, Benavente or Alba de Tormes, the aristocracy established guidelines linked to medieval traditions, such as the dominance of the castle over the rest of the town. Efforts, therefore, were made to modernise the castle on the inside, even reforming it towards more luxurious standards, but maintaining the sober and powerful image on the outside.

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Íñigo López de Mendoza, 2nd Count of Tendilla and 1st Marquis of Mondejar

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:18 +0000

Íñigo López de Mendoza stood out as a great ally of King Ferdinand the Catholic, being captain general of the Kingdom of Granada and participating directly in the War of Granada at the end of the 15th century. After the victory, he was appointed the first governor of Granada, a post he held until the end of his life, combining the coexistence of victors and vanquished with the affairs of running the city, such as administrative and economic matters.
The original work was kept in the former collection of the Duke of Osuna, although its track has been lost, but it appears constantly in the documentation. The copy made by Francisco Díaz Carreño between 1877 and 1878, which is in the collections of the Museo del Prado, is better known today.
Both the portrait itself and the meticulousness with which it complements the setting are outstanding pictorially. It shows the main figure in front of a window, with a grenade emphasising the importance of the conflict in Granada and with significant elements of military command such as the staff in his hand and the helmet resting on the window. Stylistically, Juan Bautista de Espinosa shows the strong portrait painting tradition of the late 16th century, marking out isolated figures and very precise lines in the drawing.

The post Íñigo López de Mendoza, 2nd Count of Tendilla and 1st Marquis of Mondejar first appeared on History Lab.

Dánae, Titian