Conference Flandes by Substitution. Copies of Flemish Masters in the Hispanic World (1500-1700)

On 9 and 10 February 2017 an international conference will be held on the copies of paintings of Flemish masters from the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries related to the Hispanic world. The event will take place at the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA) in Brussels and is organized in collaboration with the Spanish National Research Project COPIMONARCH. La copia pictórica en la Monarquía Hispánica, siglos XVI-XVIII from the Universidad de Granada.

The artistic heritage of the regions that once formed part of the former Spanish Empire includes a large number of painted copies after Flemish masters made during the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries. Most of these works have received little attention even though they constitute a valuable source for understanding the artistic influence of the Southern Netherlands on Spanish and Latin American art and society in this period. Indeed, the study of copies of Flemish masters sheds light on a number of art historical issues, including the means of diffusion of artistic models, stylistic trends and the dynamics of the art market and the world of collecting. These copies are a valuable testimony to the political, commercial and cultural ties that existed between the Hispanic territories and the Southern Netherlands.

The conference will focus on the phenomenon of the copy from a large variety of approaches, ranging from workshop practices to collecting, trade and patronage. Papers on particular copies have been taken into consideration, but special attention has been paid to the driving forces behind the export-driven market of copies, such as artists, patrons, collectors and merchants. By taking into account cultural, religious, political and socio-economic dynamics, this conference aims to shed new light on the multifaceted artistic impact of the Southern Netherlands on the Hispanic world during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Flandes by Substitution. Copies of Flemish Masters in the Hispanic World (1500-1700)
Where: Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, Brussels
When: 9 and 10 February
Website

(News item February 1, 2017)