The interior as an embodiment of power

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This volume explores the interiors and exteriors of princely residences as integral to the development of European early modern court culture from 1400 to 1700. As aristocratization grew and new princely courts emerged, the representation of princely power necessitated elaborate backdrops. While the significance of palace interiors is not new, recent scholarship has begun to connect interior architecture with court culture, highlighting their roles in embodying and expressing princely presence. The essays focus on the various functions of palaces, state rooms, and private chambers during specific periods and contexts, examining courts in London, Edinburgh, Neuburg am Inn, Karlstein, Prague, Červený Kameň, and Ludwigsburg. They also compare local examples with international trends in ceremonial practices from Burgundy, Spain, and Lithuania. The volume aims to merge personal and dynastic ambitions with fashionable trends and court etiquette, reflecting a period of calculated magnificence. It considers processional routes leading to the ruler's presence or image, defining the interconnected roles of residential interiors and court personnel. The ten papers were initially presented at the PALATIUM colloquium, organized by Stephan Hoppe, Krista De Jonge, and Stefan Breitling in Bamberg in October 2013.