Taking cues from a variety of traditions, the New Bourbon Palace that Philip V commissioned to the Italian architects Filippo Juvara and Giovanni Battista Sacchetti between the years 1735 and 1764 is a veritable burlesque of architecture! From the elaborate bossage, the carved stonework that projects outward from the structure, which reminds us of the beautiful Renaissance palaces, to the impressive balustrade of the mainly neoclassical façade and the angular bodies that decorate it and are reminiscent of the towers of the older fortress of the Habsburgs, the palace is a mix of influences. The French element is also present and this must have been particularly pleasing for King Philip V, the grandson of King Louis XIV who had been born in the cosmopolitan Versailles. The great dome of the Royal Chapel is another feature that stands out and it invites us to notice something quite peculiar in Spanish art; The intimate union of political and religious powers is striking. In contrast to the Classical accents that prevail outside, the palace’s interior is an essentially Rococo affair!