Inventarios de Felipe II

Descripción

These inventories, are the most important testaments to the very considerable collecting activity of Philip II. They introduce readers to a place, the Royal Alcázar of Madrid, which was the king's main residence and the seat of the councils and, accordingly, the centre of government of the largest and most powerful monarchy of the day. The first and most important of these documents, the post-mortem Inventory of Philip II's possessions, was published in part by Sánchez Cantón between 1956 and 1959. As well as using current palaeographic criteria, the present work is the first complete edition, as it includes the record of the sale of most of these possessions to raise money to alleviate the kingdom's financial woes. This document contains valuable information about the destination and dispersal of many of the inventory items. The other document, the Inventory of Philip II's tapestries, was known only to scholars, who have mentioned a few of the entries. However, it had never been published in full and as a valuable document in its own right. This is the first complete and reliable edition of a set of documents that are essential to understanding the art collecting of the Prudent King, as Philip II was known.