Spanish Artists Who Shaped Renaissance Naples at Capodimonte

The exhibition 'Gli Spagnoli a Napoli. Il Rinascimento meridionale' at Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, curated by Riccardo Naldi and Andrea Zezza, focuses on the first three decades of the 16th century when Naples was the capital of the Spanish viceroyalty. It highlights how works by Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael were enthusiastically received and reinterpreted in the vibrant city, which became a bridge between Mediterranean cultures. Featured artists include Pedro Fernández, whose Polittico della Visitazione for Santa Maria delle Grazie Maggiore a Caponapoli shows visionary sacred history, and Giovanni da Nola, whose recently acquired wooden Vergine annunciata (c. 1508-1511) incorporates modern perspective. A highlight is Raphael's Madonna del pesce (c. 1512), loaned from the Prado in Madrid, originally commissioned for San Domenico Maggiore. It is displayed alongside a classical model that influenced its throne and foot placement. Bartolomé Ordóñez's San Matteo e l'angelo reflects the modernity of Michelangelo and Raphael. The exhibition captures a brief golden age that ended abruptly with the French siege of 1528, echoing the Sack of Rome in 1527.