Artworks and the abolition of Primogeniture: the Parliamentary Debate and the lawsuit of the estate of the 13th Duchess of alba (1802-1844).

Abstract

The thorny estate of the 13th Duchess of Alba and its role in the scattering of the old family collection are well known facts. However, the literature has not addressed either the interpretation of the legal and symbolic arguments deployed in the lawsuit or its connection with the contemporary discussions on the primogeniture and the status of artworks. At the moment when the abolition of primogeniture was decided, the lawsuit required  reflection on the value of this legal form, on its relation to family strategies and on the scope of the nobility’s artistic policies. That situation offered an enriching angle for the analysis of changes in the social and aesthetic status of works of art in the transition between the old regime and the contemporary world.