Grotesque and Scenography. Virtual reconstruction of anthropomorphic supports within the entry of Philip II in Antwerp (1549)

Abstract

This paper aims to analyse the presence of a motif from the Flemish repertoire of the grotesque in the configuration of a unique type of anthropomorphic support used in the ephemeral architecture erected on Philip II of Spain’s entry into Antwerp in 1549. The support consists of a figure that, resembling an atlante or a caryatid, supports a cornice, but whose peculiarity is that the body is partially embedded in the surface of the façade, fulfilling a more decorative function than strictly tectonic. The development of this analysis is based on the concept of visual culture, but this approach also constitutes an attempt for developing a virtual reconstruction of this particular motif in its artistic context.