Representación plástica y escrita de Aranjuez (España) en el manuscrito de Hieronimus Gundlach Nova Hispaniae Regnorum Descriptio (1606): la idealización de un real sitio

Abstract

This article provides examples of the idealisation of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez during the Renaissance, based on the manuscript Nova Hispaniae Regnorum Descriptio (Austrian National Library). Written in 1606 by the German physician Hieronimus Gundlach (1575-1608), it provides an account of his travels through Spain and Portugal in 1598 and 1599. The article identifies the level of correspondence between the graphic representation of the site and the description of it in Gundlach’s book, while also analysing the authenticity of both ekphrases in relation to the physical identity of the place. This historical-artistic study also compares the image of Aranjuez with the images and written descriptions that the manuscript provides of other royal Spanish sites: the Alcázar of Madrid, El Escorial and El Pardo.