Art, Visual Culture and Liturgy of Dominican nuns in Late Medieval and Early Modern Castile

Taking into account the enlarged concept of agency that includes not only the artists but also the viewers and the patrons, this article offers an approach to the artistic production, liturgical performance and visual culture in the Dominican nunneries in Castile. Its purpose is to overcome the traditional methodologies and the idealized view offered by previous studies on this field in Spain. I will reassess the role played by some women---both nuns and some female patrons, including noblewomen and queens--- in the production and commission of liturgical manuscritps, the production and sale of textiles, the development of liturgical and paraliturgical practices, and finally, in the use of sacred spaces and images. Moreover, a comparision with other Dominican nunneries in Europe, will make the commonalities visible, but also emphasize the peculiarities of Spanish nunneries. The dynastic role played by some of these women--foundresses and prioresses---is in many cases the key to understand the female agency not only as a result of piety but also as a means to show and reinforce their power over the nunnery and beyond.