Synopses & Reviews
This sumptuously illustrated volume is published with the authorization of King
Juan Carlos and offers an exhaustive view of Spain's royal architectural treasures.
The eight royal palaces of Spain span more than a thousand years of Spanish history
and, for most Spaniards, represent the heart of their national patrimony. The
earliest of these magnificent structures, the Alcazar of Seville, dates from the
reign of Abdal Rahman II (A.D. 822Ð852) but bears the imprint of later caliphs who
considerably enlarged the palace and decorated it with fabulous stucco and gesso
work. The most important of the palaces, at least from a historical perspective,
may be the Escorial, constructed by Charles V and his son, Philip II, as a monastery
and imperial retreat from the turbulent world of 16th-century Spain.
Some of the palaces, notably the Palacio Real of Madrid and the Pardo, were elaborately
frescoed and furnished in exalted Bourbon taste. Others, such as the rose-and-turquoise
Riofro, were designed with immaculate taste and decorated with restraint. The royal
family's favorite palace, the Almudaina, is an amazing marriage of Mudejar inlays and
detail, Gothic severity, and Empire furnishings, set against the backdrop of lush palm
trees and bougainvillea in modern-day Mallorca.
Author Juan Hernndez Ferrero, an architect and a professor of architecture, is director
of the Spanish National Patrimony's Department of Architecture and Gardens. He has
written numerous articles about the royal palaces of Spain. Humberto Rivas, the chief
photographer, spent some four years documenting the royal palaces, working throughout
the seasons under the direction of the royal household. He has produced a unique record
of the Spanish monarchy, its traditions, and its gracious way of life.
425 full-color illustrations