The Attingham Study Programme 2025
‘Spain: From Granada to Madrid’
October 12 – 18, 2025
‘To be ennobled by learning and enlivened by every kind of pleasure’ is the spirit that pervades the Alhambra palace complex in Granada, where this intensive seven-day course will begin. Built in a spectacular setting from 1238 for the Nasrid rulers of Al-Andalus, the last independent Muslim state in western Europe, it continued as a royal palace for Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who commissioned a new Renaissance-style palace on the site in 1526. Renowned for its architectural and decorative beauty, the Alhambra also provides contextual background for the later architecture and decorative art that we will study in Madrid, especially for the great collections of the Habsburg monarchs during the 16th and 17th centuries.
En route from Granada to Madrid we plan to explore more Spanish Renaissance architecture of the 16th century, including the palace of El Viso del Marqués de Santa Cruz, with its outstanding Mannerist frescoes. In Madrid the Study Programme will offer a mix of architecture, interiors and works of art, with a focus on the exceptional European decorative arts in Spanish royal and aristocratic collections. In the company of curators from the Patrimonio Nacional, we shall spend time examining the stunning new Royal Collections Gallery, opened in 2023 to showcase the highlights of the collection, including the world-class tapestries, furniture, sculpture, and paintings that successive Habsburg and Bourbon monarchs assembled.
Visits will include the Royal Palace, built for Phillip V from 1738 by Italian architect Filippo Juvarra and his pupil Giovanni Battista Sacchetti, with its magnificent interiors enriched with paintings, textiles, furniture, clocks and porcelain reflecting the taste of his son, Charles III, and subsequent monarchs until the abdication of Alfonso XIII in 1931. Outside Madrid, planned visits include El Escorial with its sumptuously furnished Bourbon apartments; former royal hunting lodge, El Pardo, and its exquisite garden pavilion, the Casita del Príncipe; and the 18th-century summer palace and celebrated gardens of Aranjuez. During the week, Spanish private collecting will be studied through lectures and visits to houses and, as with all Attingham courses, the course will be supported by local curators and experts and will include visits with privileged access.
The course will co-directed by Dr. Helen Jacobsen FSA and Annabel Westman FSA, and course co-ordinator Cristina Alfonsín.
Enrollment and fees
The USD course fee for this residential course is $4,000. This fee includes standard accommodation, breakfast, most lunches and dinners. All bedrooms are for single occupancy and have en-suite facilities. Participants are strongly advised to ensure against cancellation, as no refunds will be made following payment, unless the place can be filled by another suitable candidate.
Applications
The deadline for applications is February 14, 2025. All candidates will be notified by the end of March 2025 if they have been awarded a place.
Scholarships
In addition to general enrollment, some scholarship assistance is available for qualifying candidates thanks to the generosity of various individuals and charitable organizations.
Any candidate wishing to apply for a scholarship must complete the scholarship application form below. Please follow the instructions on the form to apply for financial assistance.
Scholarship Application From
Applications Now Open
Deadline: February 14, 2025
Image Credit: Zuloaga y Bonetta. Daniel, El Salón Gasparini del Palacio Real de Madrid, 1875, Oil on canvas, 58 x 72cm (P006884). Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado. Credit: © Photographic Archive Museo Nacional del Prado.