Relocating the Spanish Renaissance: Charles V, the Torre de la Estufa in the Alhambra, and the Islamic Past

This article reexamines the function, decoration, and political and artistic significance of the Torre de la Estufa of Charles V in the Alhambra, a steam room decorated between 1528 and 1539 with topographic landscapes of the conquest of Tunis and paintings of grotesques. Challenging the traditional...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Sixteenth century journal Vol. 50; no. 4; p. 1063
Main Author Ripollés, Carmen
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Chicago University of Chicago Press 01.12.2019
Subjects
16th century
Architectural elements
Architecture
Castles & palaces
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500-58)
Historic buildings & sites
Islamic art
Landscape art
Religious art
Renaissance period
Spanish culture
Granada Spain
Spain
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Summary:This article reexamines the function, decoration, and political and artistic significance of the Torre de la Estufa of Charles V in the Alhambra, a steam room decorated between 1528 and 1539 with topographic landscapes of the conquest of Tunis and paintings of grotesques. Challenging the traditional focus on the tower's debt to the Italian Renaissance, this essay brings attention to its preexisting Islamic framework, arguing that its overall architectural language, specific decorative elements, and intended function reveal Charles V's will to engage formally and conceptually with the preexisting palace as a means of advancing imperial ideology.
ISSN:0361-0160
2326-0726
DOI:10.1086/SCJ5004004