Appel à contribution : « Spanish Royalty in Naples. Between Art and Architecture (1598-1713) », date limite le 28 février 2023

The series Temi e frontiere della conoscenza e del progetto (Themes and Frontiers of Knowledge and Design), published by ‘La scuola di Pitagora’ and edited by prof. Ornella Zerlenga of the University of Campania ‘Luigi Vanvitelli’ in Italy, is launching a call for papers for a forthcoming open access volume entitled Reali spagnoli a Napoli: fra arte e architettura (1598-1713) (Spanish Royalty in Naples: between art and architecture (1598-1713)) edited by Prof. Laura García Sánchez, lecturer at the Department of Art History of the University of Barcelona (Spain). The series, multidisciplinary in nature, includes volumes that propose a critical reflection on architecture, the city, the environment and industrial design, investigating disciplinary sources and cultural trends with a focus on the themes of form, structure, innovation, representation and communication.

The broad scope of the theme proposed allows for a transversal look at the figure of the Viceroy and his closest collaborators and relatives as authentic protagonists of an interesting historical and artistic period. During this period, Naples was not only one of the most prosperous cities in Italy but also one of the largest in Europe and an investment for the Spanish monarchs that dominated it. This unique metropolis had a Spanish presence that lasted four centuries. Traces can still be seen today in the layout of its streets, in some of the city’s most representative monuments as well as the habits and customs of the Neapolitans. This relationship gave rise to one of the city’s most mythical neighbourhoods, the Quartieri Spagnoli, which was founded in the 16th century to house the Spanish military garrisons during the period of the Aragonese’s struggle with the French who, like the Spanish, wanted to take control of the city. Once the war was over, a relatively quiet secular rule began during which Spanish proxies remodelled Naples. The chronology of the volume spans the long period between the reign of Philip III (1598) and the end of the War of the Spanish Succession (1713), a stage in which the figure of the Viceroy was decisive for many reasons in that he not only exercised the administrative and governing function as representative of the Spanish monarchy, but also played an important role in promoting the cultural activities of what was called the Spanish Siglo de Oro and which, in other words, represented the Baroque language par excellence.

In the territories of the Hispanic monarchy, the Viceroys, as alter egos of the king and therefore of noble lineage, travelled frequently. The office or ‘job’ usually lasted from three to six years. During this stay in Naples, the incumbent controlled not only the economic resources, which allowed him to build a residence and surround himself with the most famous artists, thus increasing the prestige of the crown. The Viceroys were not only faithful deliverers of the political power of the kings but also played the role of patrons of the arts, so much so that during the 17th century, it is possible to recognise a significant influence of Naples in Spain through their work. Many of the works that today are exhibited at the Prado Museum in Madrid were sent to Spain by the Viceroys as gifts for the king or, on specific commission, to decorate the royal palaces.

The role of the viceroys, or their wives, is also interesting in this cultural exchange. The women did not possess property titles but accompanied their husbands, which, for example, was not possible for those governing Latin America. This made the role of the vicereine very active in the Kingdom of Naples. Their participation in public ceremonies aroused much interest, helping to consolidate Spanish power in the city.

Original and unpublished contributions are favoured with a focus on the relations between Naples and Spain during the period indicated and, without excluding other topics, the following themes are proposed:

• The Viceroys’ journey to Naples: methods; route to Italy; length of stay in Naples; entourage (family, secretaries, servants); trousseaux; gifts to Neapolitan dignitaries.
• Contact with local artists: patronage networks.
• The Spanish influence on Neapolitan religion and beliefs.
• The Vicereine: the role of the wife between interests and influence on locals.
• The Viceroys’ collections: interests; preferences; influence on Spanish artists.
• Investments in public works to demonstrate Spanish power and the expansion of the Hispanic monarchy in Italy: the reform of urban spaces (creation of fountains; squares; etc.).
• The Viceroys and the stories of their return from Spain and vice versa.
• The return of the Viceroys to Spain: construction of palaces and convents; collection of works of art and books from the Kingdom of Naples.
• Founding of convents as family ‘pantheons’, to which the Viceroys donated many Italian works of art.
• Stories of travellers and travel descriptions.
• Representation of the Viceroys in art.
• The Viceroys as seen by the Neapolitan nobility and people.
• The Spanish influence on the architecture of the Kingdom of Naples.

To submit a contribution, please send the provisional title and an abstract of max. 3,000 characters (including spaces). The material must be sent by 28 February 2023 to the following e-mail addresses: ornella.zerlenga@unicampania.it; laura.garcia@ub.edu The authors of the selected abstracts will be contacted by 31 March 2023, after which the editorial guidelines for the text and images of the paper will be sent by e-mail. Papers must be written between 15,000 and 30,000 characters (including spaces) by 31 August 2023 and sent to the above-mentioned e-mail addresses.

Volumes published in this series will be pre-screened by at least two members of the Scientific Committee, who will assess whether the contribution responds to the research lines of the Series, whether it is based on an adequate bibliographical analysis related to the proposed theme, and whether it offers a careful examination of the sources and/or current trends with respect to the proposed theme. Once this preliminary assessment has been passed, the paper will be submitted to the international Double-blind Peer Review criterion and sent to two anonymous reviewers, at least one of whom must be external to the Scientific Committee. The reviewers, i.e., professors and researchers of recognised competence in the specific fields of study and belonging to various Italian and foreign universities and research institutes, constitute the Refereeing Committee. The list of anonymous reviewers and refereeing procedures is available to national and international scientific assessment bodies.

Texts in Italian, French, Spanish and English are accepted. Translation into English is also required for those submitted in Italian, French and Spanish.

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