La otra Corte. Mujeres de la Casa de Austria en los Monasterios Reales de las Descalzas y la Encarnación

Published on the occasion of the exhibition by the same name organised by National Heritage in Madrid’s Royal Palace, which will then continue in March 2020 at the Monastery of Las Descalzas Reales and the Royal Monastery of La Encarnación, this monograph is devoted to these two compounds as spaces of intense court and political life, in addition to religious life. Both monasteries were founded under royal patronage (patronato real) by Hapsburgs near the Real Alcázar and operated as a women’s court parallel to the court established by the king.

This publication analyses both their architecture and their interior spaces, as well as the value of their collections of paintings, sculptures, goldwork, tapestries and other textiles. It further explores the ceremonial practices that determined the layout of some of the rooms and the creation of those artistic objects.