Art and Science in Baroque Spain. Natural History, Collecting and Visual Culture (originally published by José Ramón Marcaida López in 2014 and now reissued in Spanish and, for the first time, in English, in a revised, updated and more richly illustrated edition) marks the beginning of a series of publications intended to promote the diversity of topics, methods and perspectives that are of interest to historical research on the Iberian worlds within the international academic sphere. By disseminating studies of high scholarly quality currently being conducted at various universities and specialized centers, the series seeks to encourage critical analysis and broader discussion of the history of Spain from a wide-ranging perspective, one that encompasses the global dimension of what is Spanish and its interaction and exchange with other countries, regions, societies and cultures.

This initiative is the result of a collaboration among several institutions: the Center for Spain in America (CSA), which promotes Hispanic studies in the United States; the Center for Iberian Historical Studies (CIHS) at Saint Louis University, the premier transdisciplinary research platform on Iberian topics in North America, with a campus established in Madrid since 1967; and the Centro de Estudios Europa Hispánica (CEEH), whose publishing imprint includes this book in its Confluencias series, devoted to the international relationships of Spanish art, literature and thought. Through this partnership, the aim is to provide a publication outlet for doctoral and postdoctoral work produced within our respective programs and seminars, as well as for books by other scholars and teachers who share our interests and wish to join the collection, thereby turning it into a forum for international discussion.