Arte y devociónla experiencia de las imágenes religiosas de las últimas Trastámara

Abstract

The Spanish history of the last third of the fifteenth century was defined by a woman's name: Isabella I of Castile (1474-1504). The political, social and cultural activities carried out by the Castilian Queen have been widely studied, being one of the thematic references since the nineteenth century. However, the legacy that this government raised for the women of her environment is, still today, a question to be solved. This is the case of the infantas of Aragon and Castile who, despite the close relationship with their mother, only in recent decades have sustained the interest of various studies. This thesis is included within these investigations, with the aim of demonstrating the relationship that Isabella (1470-1498), Joanna (1479-1555), María (1482-1517) and Katherine (1485-1536) would keep with the image of devotion. Those religious representations that these women will treasure will not only exemplify the pious concerns possessed by them, but also those moral components typical of both their gender and their dynasty. The study of their inventories, wills, letters of payment and other documents will demonstrate the broad symbols that these images housed. Models of salvation and faith in the private sphere, moral representations from the public aspect, their presence in the treasures of the last Trastámara will show the artistic, religious and cultural transformations of an era. With this objective in mind, a working method is established based on the consultation of primary sources -composed by archival documentation, devotional objects and religious literature of the time- and secondary sources, with special relevance to that scientific production dedicated to the experience of the image during the devotional period, the works focused on the study of the Elizabethan court and those investigations carried out around the infantas of Aragon and Castile. In order to consult them, a methodology must be considered composed, on the one hand, by consulting national libraries - the National Library of Spain, the Escorial Monastery Library or the Prado Museum Library, among others - and others of an international scope , among which we highlight the British Library and the Fine Arts Library of Harvard University for their relevance. In addition, to these must be added the consultation of files that will provide the information regarding the pieces treasured by the infantas. We highlight the General Archives of Simancas, the Archives of Lille and the National Archives of the United Kingdom. All this allowed to establish some relative conclusions beyond the demonstration of the main objective of this thesis. Not only will the relationship of the infantas with the devotional currents of the period be established, but they will also have their own characteristics based on the Castilian idiosyncrasy, the maternal influence and their own personal taste. The study of the pieces owned by these women allows us to establish a marked preference for images of the Virgin over those passionate images so fashionable at the time, in addition to the presence of women from the life of Mary such as Santa Ana or Verónica who would exemplify social aspirations not only of a princess, but of medieval women. In addition to this, a deep matrilineality will be reflected through these devotional objects that, from Isabel of Castile, will extend, at least, two generations. Thus the objects of devotion will reach a higher consideration than the mere intercessory object. Through them, the salvative concerns of these women, the social desires of medieval women and dynastic honor can be understood.