His reign was a time of Cultural and political vitality for the Spanish monarchy, as the king and his court, having successfully maintained a peaceful foreign policy in Europe (the 'Pax Hispanica').

Edited by Sarah Schroth and Ronni Baer Philip llI, so often dismissed in favour of Philip II and Philip IV, actually presided over an era of crucial artistic development in Spain. His reign was a time of Cultural and political vitality for the Spanish monarchy, as the king and his court, having successfully maintained a peaceful foreign policy in Europe (the 'Pax Hispanica'),ushered in a style of grandeur where fabulous gala celebrations, building campaigns, picture collecting recreation and travel were the order of the day.Accordingly, the art of this period flourished,witnessing the birth of a naturalistic style that was variously reflected in a new attention to detail and spatiality in court portraiture, the thriving of still life, the humanizing of saints and the development of polychromatic sculpture.Focusing on the careers of the mature El Greco and the young Vekizquez, which bracket this exciting period of resurgent court culture, this volume also investigates the works of lesser-known but highly talented artists who exerted a critical influence on the development of Spanish painting. Essays by several noted scholars provide indispensable perspectives on the historical, literary, cultural and religious context in which these artists lived. The product of twenty years of research, and illustrated with a sumptuousness befitting its subject, El Greco to Velazquez is sure to become a standard reference for students of Spanish art.

Directors' Foreword

Acknowledgments

ANTONIO FEROS

Art and Spanish Society:

The Historical Context, 1577-1623

RONNI BAER

E1 Greco to Velfizquez:

Artists of the Reign of Philip

SARAH SCHROTH

A New Style of Grandeur:

Politics and Patronage at the Court of Philip iii

ROSEMARIE MULCAHY

Images of Power and Salvation

LAURA R BASS

The Treasury of the Language:

Literary Invention in Philip iii's Spain

SARAH SCHROTH AND RONNI BAER

Catalogue

  Late E1 Greco

  Portraiture

  Religious Institutions and Private Patrons

  Apostolado

  Saint Francis

  Spanish Saints

  The Immaculate Conception

  Still Life and the BodegOn

  The Camarin and the Duke of Lerma's Pictures

RONNI BAER AND XIOMARA MURRAY

Biographies

  Cajs

  Carducho

  E1 Greco

  Fernndez

  Gonzilez

  Van der Hamen

  Loarte

  Maino

  Montafi6s,

  Orrente

  Pacheco

  Pantoia,

  Ribalta

  Ribera

  Roelas

  Rubens

  Sgnchez Cotn

  Tristan

  Velzquez

Bibliography

Exhibition Checklist

Notes

Index