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the hispanist Jonathan Brown, international expert on the work of Velázquez, died this Tuesday after a life dedicated to the history of art and countless published works. However, the American master passed away without seeing one of the dreams of his career completed, the restoration of the Salón de Reinos, the symbolic epicenter of the old Buen Retiro Palace, a project that has been underway since 2016 without having yet seen the light of day. «Let us think that of the great patron that Felipe IV was, there is no monumental vestige left, he does not have his Versailles. This project offers the opportunity to pay tribute to him and at the same time to recover a great work. Do not forget that the collection that we see today in the Prado is out of context, “said Brown in an interview published by ABC Cultural nineteen years ago.
Economic and logistical issues (among other things, an international pandemic) have been postponing the rehabilitation of the former palace of Felipe IV, which will add to the Prado Museum 5,700 square meters for works that are not currently exhibited due to lack of space.
the planet king
Philip IV prolonged the idyll of Habsburgs with Madrid ordering the construction of a large architectural complex to serve as a “retirement” palace (hence its name). The Buen Retiro Palace began its construction in 1630 around a small royal room from the time of Philip II. The Prudent King had asked the architect Luis de Vega to build this room next to the church of San Jeronimo to use during the periods of Lent, penance or mourning. At the suggestion of his favorite, the Count-Duke of Olivares, Felipe IV expanded his grandfather’s construction to also include a place for rooms for his wife and taking advantage of the cession of a large amount of land from the politician to the Hieronymite convent.
Olivares, appointed warden of the royal site, personally directed the works and, together with Giovanni Battista Crescenzi and Alonso Carbonell, turned the small project into something more monumental, a place that would serve as a retreat so that, in the words of the King, “I and my successors could, without leaving this court, have relief and recreation.” The new residence followed the model of the Alcázar, with a square floor plan with corner towers topped by spiers and a large central courtyard. Olivares’ haste, however, resulted in a sprawling palace, anarchic in its structure, without a main axis, but of impressive dimensions. A little what it came to be andThe reign of the Planet King… An English diplomat criticized the poor planning of a monument that grew on a whim: “It would have been desirable that they had built it with less haste, both to make it safer and to have given it a somewhat more regal appearance.”
The epicenter of the project was in the Hall of Kingdoms, an elongated enclosure 34.6 meters long by 10 meters wide and 8 meters high, it was conceived as the great hall for ceremonies and parties, a symbol of past, present and future power. of the dynasty. According to the testimonies collected by visitors to this space, which has now disappeared in its original form, the interior was painted white, with golden arabesques on the walls. In the vault, preceded by numerous windows, were the shields of the twenty-four kingdoms of the Spanish Monarchy, a complete declaration of intentions of the favorite, then immersed in his famous “union of arms” with which he sought to involve all the Hispanic territories in the defense of the empire.
Twenty-seven paintings commissioned for the occasion decorated the wide walls and, incidentally, sent a message to allies and enemies: Spain was still the hegemonic power. This collection, which is the backbone of the Prado today, was made up of twelve large battle paintings, including ‘The Surrender of Breda’ and ‘The Recovery of Bahía de Todos los Santos’; ten scenes from the life of Hercules, considered the legendary founder of the dynasty, painted by Zurbarán; and five equestrian portraits by Velázquez’s brush around the figures of Philip III and Philip IV, their respective wives and Prince Baltasar Carlos, the ill-fated heir to the Planet King.
The destruction of the whole
The change of dynasties benefited the complex. Upon his arrival in Madrid, Felipe V de Borbón settled in the solemn Real Alcázar, which in 1734 was destroyed after a fire. The medieval palace seemed old-fashioned and unsheltered, so even before construction began on the current Royal Palace, the French family had already begun to spend long periods of time in the Buen Retiro Palace, which, with its less sullen appearance and its closeness to nature, reminded the palaces of Versailles and Marlywhere he had spent his childhood.
Although the first of the Bourbons commissioned the French architect Robert de Cotte for a series of projects to renovate the palace, the complicated political situation and high costs prevented the complex from being redesigned in the French style, with a monumental entrance and a remodeling full of gardens.
The only works that were finally carried out were aimed at remodeling the interior to adapt it to the needs and uses required by the court etiquette and the fact that, after the Alcázar fire, it was also the seat of government. More than 300 paintings saved from the fire were transferred to the Retiro, which, added to the new Bourbon acquisitions, placed the palace as one of the world epicenters of art.
The palace was used as the official residence of the dynasty until, once the Royal Palace was completed in times of Charles III and Carlos IV, was losing importance at the same time that the environment flourished for a more popular use within the enlightened program of these kings. During the War of Independence it was used by Napoleon as the headquarters of his armies. Gardens were excavated and cleared, trees felled, and numerous buildings on the royal site were demolished or converted into armories.
After witnessing several battles, the enclosure was practically destroyed and in the following reign it was necessary to demolish it almost entirely. Over time, only the Casón (one of the buildings now occupied by the Prado Museum) and the wing where the Hall of Realms was located (converted for many years into the Army Museum) remained standing.
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