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THE INVENTORIES OF THE ROYAL ALCAZAR IN MADRID AS A SOURCE FOR RESEARCH OF THE ARTISTIC TASTES IN THE 17TH CENTURYВ’S SPAIN

A. V. Morozova

Abstract

The article deals with the analysis of the inventories of the Royal Alcázar in Madrid. These inventories (1666, 1686, 1700) were first published by Yves Bottineau in the French journal The Spanish Bulletin in 1958. Yves Bottineau was also the first to study and comment on the inventories. In particular, he identified the items from the inventories with those preserved till today. However, the inventories still hold a great amount of information which has not been studied until now. For example, the inventories can bring us closer to the understanding of the artistic tastes in the second half of 17th century’s Spain and thus to prove or disprove the conclusions which were made through the study of the art tractates by F. Pacheco, J. Martínez, A. Palomino and other researchers of Spanish art of the Golden Century. The tractates were written by the representatives of the artistic circles prone to classicism, which explains their artistic preferences. As to the inventories, they were made in accordance with the clients’ and collectors’ tastes, that is the tastes of the court. Naturally, the artistic preferences of the authors themselves and the tastes of their high patrons did not always coincide. ?. V. ??rozova translates the measure units of the 17th century into the international system of units of today and compares the inventory price of equal in size canvases by Italian, Flemish and Spanish masters. This method allows us to understand the hierarchy of artistic values of the royal court in Madrid of the 17th century. The first position is taken by Correggio, then, with a substantial lead, come Italian and Flemish Renaissance and 17th century colorists – Titian, Tintoretto, Rubens, and the last position is occupied by the Spanish masters of the 17th century – Velazquez and Ribera. It is not the hierarchy itself that is astonishing. But for Correggio’s leading position, the hierarchy is quite predictable. What is really shocking is the gap in prices between the works by Italians of the 16th century and by the Spanish masters of the 17 century. Indeed, there is truth in the saying that a prophet is not without honor, save in his own country!

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