Philip II and the Art of the Cityscape

Abstract

Philip II and the Art of the Cityscape As mundane as they may seem, city views occupied an important place in the art and architecture of the Renaissance. The number and variety of these views multiplied rapidly during the first half of the sixteenth century, and, by 1550, the cityscape had developed into an independent genre, claiming numerous artists for whom the representation of cities was a particular speciality. Underlying this development was a growing demand for urban panoramas of various types. Cityscapes, along with maps, became a popular form of wall decoration; popes, monarchs, nobles, and burghers alike commissioned artists to adorn their residences with portraits of cities, either alone or in series. An even larger market existed for cheap, single sheet engravings of individual cities, and another for city atlases, the most ambitious of which endeavored not only to publish views of European cities, but also those of Africa, Asia, and the New World. Yet, despite their number and appeal, city views have attracted relatively little scholarly attention. In general, they have been interpreted as a response to the growth of European cities and towns, as well as one facet of the growing interest in geography sparked by the discovery of the Americas. They have consequently been considered as a demonstration of European interest in mapping the world as faithfully and accurately as possible. Yet city views had other uses. In some cases they served as expressions of local patriotism and regional pride; in others, they were used as demonstrations of suzerainty, both secular and spiritual. However, the personal and political uses of these views have rarely been considered, and this is the principal concern underlying this article, which focuses on a series of commissions offered by Philip II of Spain (1556-1598) to Anton Van den Wyngaerde (c. I512-I571), a Flemish artist who specialized in topographical views.