Apariencia ou l’instant du dévoilement

Overview & Synopsis

A curtain opens and an image is briefly revealed. This is apariencia. The curtain's movement brings the image to life, turning it into a real apparition. In the theater, the actors compose tableaux vivants that are unveiled; in his chapel, the king stages himself as the Catholic King, discovered by the sommelier de courtine. In all its registers of use, apariencia turns wonder into a performative spectacle, using ritual and art to endow images with power. Drawing on the findings of the historical anthropology of images, this book examines a mode of visibility and its uses in different areas of Spanish culture during the Golden Age, such as the history of theater, liturgy, political representation and art collections.