Description
Book SynopsisThis volume explores the concept of magnificence as a social construction in seventeenth-century Europe. Although this period is often described as the ‘Age of Magnificence’, thus far no attempts have been made to investigate how the term and the concept of magnificence functioned. The authors focus on the way crucial ethical, religious, political, aesthetic, and cultural developments interacted with thought on magnificence in Catholic and Protestant contexts, analysing spectacular civic and courtly festivities and theatre, impressive displays of painting and sculpture in rich architectural settings, splendid gardens, exclusive etiquette, grand households, and learned treatises of moral philosophy. Contributors: Lindsay Alberts, Stijn Bussels, Jorge Fernández-Santos, Anne-Madeleine Goulet, Elizabeth den Hartog, Michèle-Caroline Heck, Miguel Hermoso Cuesta, José Eloy Hortal Muñoz, Félix Labrador Arroyo, Victoire Malenfer, Alessandro Metlica, Alessandra Mignatti, Anne-Françoise Morel, Matthias Roick, Kathrin Stocker, Klaas Tindemans, and Gijs Versteegen.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Illustrations Notes on the Editors Notes on the Contributors Introduction Gijs Versteegen and Stijn Bussels Part 1: Traditions of Thought on Magnificence 1 Early Modern Readings of Aristotle’s Theory of Magnificence in the Ethics Matthias Roick 2 Medieval Background to Magnificence in Habsburg Spain: King Solomon as Enduring Exemplar of Divine Worship Jorge Fernández-Santos 3 Magnificence between Effect of Power and Power of Effect Michèle-Caroline Heck Part 2: The Court and Aristocracy 4 The Hall of Realms, a Space for Royal Magnificence Miguel Hermoso Cuesta 5 Magnificence, Power, and Private Finance in the Seventeenth Century: Flavio Orsini and Marie-Anne de La Trémoille, between Rome and Paris (1675–1686) Anne-Madeleine Goulet 6 The Magnificence of the Royal Household and Royal Sites: The Case of the Spanish Monarchy Félix Labrador Arroyo and José Eloy Hortal Muñoz 7 Educating Magnificence: Juan Eusebio Nieremberg on Ascesis and Splendour in his Manual for the Reales Estudios of the Colegio Imperial at Madrid Gijs Versteegen Part 3: Architecture 8 Building Magnificence in the Dutch Golden Age: the Amsterdam Town Hall Stijn Bussels and Bram Van Oostveldt 9 Maiestate Tantum: Spiritual Magnificence at the Cappella dei Principi Lindsay Alberts 10 Magnificence Exemplified: the Restoration of the Old St. Paul’s London Anne-Françoise Morel 11 Magnificent! Gaspar Fagel’s Plant Collection at Leeuwenhorst Elizabeth den Hartog Part 4: Performance 12 Magnificence and Atticism in Seventeenth-Century Venice Alessandro Metlica 13 Magnificence and Regality in Milanese Celebratory Sets: The Birth of Balthasar Charles and Exequies in the Epoch of Philip IV Alessandra Mignatti 14 The Ducal Stage: Festive Culture and the Display of Magnificence in Seventeenth-Century Württemberg Kathrin Stocker 15 The Libertine Subversion of the Masque: The Case of John Wilmot’s Lucina’s Rape Klaas Tindemans 16 Magnificence as Aesthetic Category in Court Plays: Molière’s Les Amants Magnifiques (The Magnificent Lovers) Victoire Malenfer Index Nominum
