Gli Affaitati a Cremona. Strategie di committenza nella Lombardia asburgica

tthe Affaitati family, merchants of Cremonese origin, dominated the trade market for textiles, spices, and sugar in the Low Countries and the Iberian Peninsula, partly due to their political and economic ties with the Habsburgs. Despite their importance in economic history, their patronage endeavors have not been the subject of systematic studies. to address this evident historiographical gap, this contribution analyzes from a historical, formal, and critical perspective the main architectural work associated with their name, Palazzo Affaitati in Cremona. Focused on the Affaitati’s patronage, this study subjects sources and documents to new analysis, offering an updated overview of the architectural work within the context of Habsburg Lombardy. based on multidisciplinary literature, this contribution shifts the focus from attribution to the significance of the palace within the social and political affirmation strategies adopted by the Affaitati in the Italian Peninsula, following the conclusion of the Italian Wars.