Art, Politics and Patronage in Renaissance Castile: Archbishop Cisneros and the Reform of Toledo Cathedral

Erika Dolphin examines the patronage of Archbishop Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros and the decorative schemes of the Mozarabic Chapel and Chapter Room of Toledo Cathedral during the first decades of the sixteenth century, highlighting the significance of his relationship with Renaissance Rome and the Vatican's temporal and ecclesiastic power. She also explores the role of Luis de Medina and offers a new interpretation of Borgoña's artistic formation, taking into consideration his French heritage and the vibrant international artistic culture of Toledo.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 01 January 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Erika Dolphin's study of the Mozarabic Chapel and Chapter Room of Toledo Cathedral delves into the patronage of Archbishop Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros (r. 1495-1517), Primate of Spain, who commissioned these rooms and their furnishings during the first decades of the sixteenth century. Dolphin offers a fresh perspective on the work of fresco painter Juan de Borgoña and the long-overlooked Luis de Medina, who painted the anteroom of the Chapter Room. She reveals how the distinctive style and iconography of the two rooms underscore Cisneros' program of reform of Toledo Cathedral and the Spanish Church, by directing attention to the importance of his relationship with Renaissance Rome and the power he derived from the Vatican to wield temporal and ecclesiastic power within the Spanish realm and the Toledan See. Dolphin also explores Medina's role and offers a new interpretation of Borgoña's artistic formation, which takes into consideration his French heritage and the significance of the vibrant international artistic culture that existed in Toledo. Her analysis relies on a reexamination of the documentary evidence, which has only been partially published and never examined meticulously. This volume represents a major step forward in understanding the important Spanish contributions to an emerging pan-European visual culture.

Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781409407850