Art and architecture in the 15th century Iberian Peninsula
A new book is shedding new light on the development of art and architecture in the 15th century Iberian Peninsula. Costanza Beltrami, researcher at Stockholm University is the editor together with Sylvia Alvares-Correa.
Palacio de los Duques de Medinaceli in Cogolludo. Photo: Costanza Beltrami and Sylvia Alvares-Correa
Traditional narratives hold that the art and architecture of the Iberian Peninsula in the late 15th century were transformed by the arrival of artists, objects, and ideas from northern Europe. The year 1492 has been interpreted as a radical rupture, marking the end of the Islamic presence on the peninsula, the beginning of global encounters, and the intensification of exchange between Iberia and Renaissance Italy.
This volume aims to nuance and challenge this narrative, considering the Spanish and Portuguese worlds in conjunction, and emphasising the multi-directional migrations of both objects and people to and from the peninsula. This long-marginalised region is recast as a ‘diffuse artistic centre’ in close contact with Europe and the wider world. The chapters interweave varied media, geographies, and approaches to create a rich tapestry held together by itinerant artworks, artists, and ideas.
The book title is Art, Travel, and Exchange between Iberia and Global Geographies, c. 1400–1550 and it is freely available online through open access.
Costanza Beltrami is a lecturer and researcher of Art History at the Department of Culture and Aesthetics. Her work explores Gothic art and architecture in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. Geographically mainly – but not exclusively – her focus is on the Spanish region of Castile and its international connections.
