New approaches to Naples c. 1500-c. 1800 : the power of place

Early modern Naples has been characterized as a marginal, wild and exotic place on the fringes of the European world, and as such an appropriate target of attempts, by Catholic missionaries and others, to'civilize'the city. Historiographically bypassed in favour of Venice, Florence and Rome, Naples is frequently seen as emblematic of the cultural and political decline in the Italian peninsula and as epitomizing the problems of southern Italy. Yet, as this volume makes plain, such views blind us to some of its most extraordinary qualities, and limit our understanding, not only of one of the world's great capital cities, but also of the wider social, cultural and political dynamics of early modern Europe. As the centre of Spanish colonial power within Europe during the vicerealty, and with a population second only to Paris in early modern Europe, Naples is a city that deserves serious study. Further, as a Habsburg dominion, it offers vital points of comparison with non-European sites which were subject to European colonialism. While European colonization outside Europe has received intense scholarly attention, its cultural impact and representation within Europe remain under-explored. Too much has been taken for granted. Too few questions have been posed. In the sphere of the visual arts, investigation reveals that Neapolitan urbanism, architecture, painting and sculpture were of the highest quality during this period, while differing significantly from those of other Italian cities. For long ignored or treated as the subaltern sister of Rome, this urban treasure house is only now receiving the attention from scholars that it has so long deserved. This volume addresses the central paradoxes operating in early modern Italian scholarship. It seeks to illuminate both the historiographical pressures that have marginalized Naples and to showcase important new developments in Neapolitan cultural history and art history. Those developments showcased here include bot Early modern Naples has been characterised as a marginal, wild and exotic place on the fringes of the European world, and target of attempts, by Catholic missionaries and others, to 'civilise' the city. Historiographically bypassed in favour of Venice, Florence and Rome, Naples is frequently seen as an emblem of cultural and political decline in the Italian peninsula. Yet, as this volume makes plain, such views limit our understanding, not only of a key Mediterranean city, but also of the wider social, cultural and political aspects of early modern Europe. As the centre of Spanish colonial power within Europe during the Vicerealty, and with a population second only to Paris in early modern Europe, Naples is a city that deserves serious study on its own terms. Furthermore, as a Habsburg dominion, it offers vital points of comparison with non-European sites which were subject to European colonialism. For whilst European colonization outside Europe has received intense scholarly attention, its cultural impact and representation within Europe remain under-explored. In the sphere of the visual arts, too, closer investigation reveals that Neapolitan urbanism, architecture, painting and sculpture were of the highest quality during this period, although varying considerably from those of other Italian cities Early modern Naples has been characterised as a marginal, wild and exotic place on the fringes of the European world, and the target of frequent Catholic missionary attempts to 'civilise' the city. In recent historiography its reputation has suffered in relation to that of Venice, Florence and Rome.