The Impact of the Emperor Charles V upon the Visual Arts

The author has sought to delineate the relationship between the Emperor Charles V and the visual arts. Hitherto, Charles (1500-1558) has been studied generally as a political figure; however, throughout his reign the arts played an integral role in his attempt to maintain his authority. In the introductory chapter, the dual nature of art employed by a sovereign eager to assert his prerogatives is delineated: as a tool of an advanced technology, and as a means of propaganda. Chapter II traces the development of the theory of art as a political instrument under Charles' grandfather, Maximilian I; it is followed by a discussion of one of the most important genres employed by the Hapsburgs: the triumphal entry in the Low Countries, governed by his aunt, Margaret of Austria. Chapters IV and V are devoted to the emperor's patronage of sculpture and architecture in his native Netherlands between 1530 and 1556, in relationship to the new governmental structure which he established to control the region; particular emphasis is given to the acquisition of art works by members of his court on his behalf. Chapter VI consists of a discussion of the emperor's patronage of science and technology for state purposes, as well as a reconstruction of the imperial Wunderkammer, where science and art merged. The imperial itinerary in North Italy (1529-1533) is traced in the final two chapters (VII and VIII). Gifts, imperial commissions, and the construction of edifices suitable to receive the sovereign are considered as evidence of the emperor's campaign to assert his authority in an area largely hostile to him, and as documentation of the North Italian aristocracy's attempt to adjust to the new political order.