Material Seduction: Charles III, the Spanish Empire, and the Porcelain Cabinet at Aranjuez

The first in-depth study of the Porcelain Cabinet at Aranjuez shows how porcelain, natural history, and Spain’s global empire shaped 18th-century geopolitics and kingship.

The Porcelain Cabinet (1760–65) at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, Spain, was one of the most extraordinary interiors of 18th-century Europe. This elaborate rococo interior, created for Charles III under the direction of Giuseppe Gricci, was a space for intimate conversation, theatrical display, and political performance. In Material Seduction, art historian Tara Zanardi explores the room’s dazzling surfaces, jeweled colors, and chinoiserie motifs, positioning the cabinet at the intersection of geopolitics, natural history, porcelain innovation, and imperial ambition. Featuring more than 100 illustrations, this interdisciplinary study will appeal to readers interested in the decorative arts, material culture, and empire.

• Illuminates an exceptional yet understudied royal interior, revealing the Porcelain Cabinet as a sophisticated articulation of art, sovereignty, and imperial ambition.
• Offers a vivid account of porcelain as an immersive medium, where color, relief, and ornament transform architecture into a richly animated visual field.
• Broadens discussions of visual and material culture beyond Francophone and Anglophone traditions while confronting the problematic imagery of empire and chinoiserie.

Richly illustrated throughout, this book offers a compelling new perspective on the material culture of kingship and the global ambitions of the Spanish empire.