Mencia de Mendoza (Los Angeles, Sept 03)

Mari-Tere Alvarez

MENCIA DE MENDOZA: COLLECTOR AND PATRON

Los Angeles, Getty Research Institute 1200 Getty Center Drive Los Angeles, California 90049

September 3-4 2003

The Getty Research Institute in collaboration with the Generalitat Valenciana, Subsecretaria de Promocio Cultural is hosting a symposium on September 3-4, 2003, "Mencia de Mendoza: Renaissance Collector and Patron." A two-day international conference at the Getty Research Institute.

The conference will provide insight into one of the most important and still little known Renaissance collectors in Europe. Scholars will discuss the intellectual and artistic pursuits of Mencia de Mendoza, Marchioness of Zenete and Duchess of Calabria (1508-1554).

Mencia de Mendoza - Biography

A descendant of the great cardinal Mendoza, Mencia de Mendoza (1508-1554), was the daughter of Rodrigo, first Marquis of Zenete and Maria de Fonseca and Toledo. Born in Jadraque, she soon left for Calahorra (Granada) and, later, to Valencia. Like most of her other famed Mendoza cousins, Mencia was educated in a humanist tradition.

At the age of 16, Mencia became the third wife of Hendrik III, Count of Nassau (d. 1538). She moved with her husband to the Netherlands, where they formed part of Emperor Charles V's court. Shortly after Mencia's arrival in Breda, she began to patronize many important Netherlandish artists, in particular and Bernard van Orley.

The Marchioness's interest in collecting was certainly not limited to paintings. She engaged numerous silversmiths and commissioned from and illuminated Books of Hours from the Bruges studio of Simon Bening. Her collection also included a variety of other objects, such as cameos, corals, drawings, gems, medals, and even dolls. Following Hendrik's death, Mencia returned to Valencia and married Ferdinand of Aragon, Duke of

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Calabria and Viceroy of Valencia, whose court in Valencia was the center of cultural activity in the region. Upon her death in 1554, she was buried in the convent of Santo Domingo, Valencia, where her parents lay.

Sponsors:

The conference is being made possible by the generosity of the Consorci de Museus de la Comunitat Valenciana of the Generalitat Valenciana Conselleria de Cultura, Educacio, i Ciencia, Direccio General de Promocio Cultural, the Getty Research Institute, the program for cultural cooperation of Spain's Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports and universities in the United States and the University of Southern California.

Abbreviated schedule of events:

Tuesday, September 2 Evening welcome reception Fisher Gallery, University of Southern California

Wednesday, September 3 Conference papers, Getty Research Institute

Thursday, September 4 Conference papers, and closing reception at Getty Research Institute

Topics will include:

Richard Kagan (Johns Hopkins University) Spain & The Netherlands in the era of Charles V

Fernando Marias (Universidad Autonoma de Madrid) Dona Mencia de Mendoza, II Marquesa Del Zenete

Helen Nader (University of Arizona) The World of the Mendoza Women

Felipe Pereda (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) Women's patronage in 15th century Castile: Dona Mencia de Mendoza (*1500)

Dagmar Eichberger (University of Heidelberg, Germany) The Art of Living: Margaret of Austria's principal residence and her considered display of collectible objects

Arianne Faber Kolb (Berkeley) Naturalia and Objects of Curiosity in Mencia de Mendoza's Collection

Mercedes Gomez Ferrer (Universidad de Valencia) Mencia, Valencia duke of calabria

THE PALACE AT VALENCIA

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Paul Vandenbroeck (Royal Museum of Fine Arts, ) 16th C. Aesthetic reception of Bosch

Thomas Kren (The J. Paul Getty Museum) Simon Bening and Mencia de Mendoza: A Review of the Evidence

Maryan W. Ainsworth (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) A "Van Orley" for Mencia

Mari-Tere Alvarez (The J. Paul Getty Museum) Who's Who-A Mysterious Gossaert Portrait

Participants: Patricia Legorreta, Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, Mexico D.F. Marcus Burke, Hispanic Society of American, New York Selma Holo, University of Southern California

Registration: The conference is free.

Name: Address: Affiliation (if applicable): City/State/Country: Telephone or Email: Yes, I (we) will be arriving by car. Please make a parking reservation in my name.

Please email your completed registration to: Maite Alvarez at [email protected].

The Doubletree Hotel Westwood has made a limited number of rooms available to attendees at a discounted rate ($149 for a single room) for those who reserve by August 14. Please contact the hotel directly at (310) 475-8711 or (800) 222-8733. For further information about the conference, please contact [email protected]

The Department of Manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum is hosting a symposium on September 5-6, 2003, "Illuminating the Renaissance. Burgundian Identities, Flemish Artists, and European Markets."

This symposium accompanies the exhibition "Illuminating the Renaissance: The Triumph of Flemish Manuscript Painting in Europe." For inquiries, contact Brandi Franzman, Manuscripts: (310) 440-7034, or [email protected]

Reference: CONF: Mencia de Mendoza (Los Angeles, Sept 03). In: ArtHist.net, Jul 26, 2003 (accessed Sep 30, 2021), .

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