The salamanca school in a series of portraits of outstanding spaniards from Stroganov's book collection

The edition of a series of portraits of outstanding Spaniards is an example of the important project on strengthening of collective historical memory which is carried out in Spain in the age of Enlightenment. Studying of this book monument promotes illumination of questions of historical and cultural development of the country, disclosure of mechanisms of valuable reference points and self-identification of the Spanish people. A subject of this article is the research university components in a cohort of the best representatives of the nation presented in this edition. The emphasis is placed on identification of representatives of the Salamanca School among the characters depicted in the edition. At the same time consideration of the specified series of portraits which is stored in Stroganov library serves also for studying of content of the well-known book collection. The concept «Salamanca School» is applied usually to group of the Spanish lawyers of the 16th century connected with the Salamanca University and who have proved the doctrine of natural and international law, the quantitative theory of money. In a broad sense this term reflects a phenomenon of the ideological updating reached thanks to works of the whole group of university professors-theologians. In works of these scientists much attention was paid to justification of economic events in response to new realities which Spain has faced as a result of opening of the New World and economic consequences of the conquest. Among representatives of the Salamanca School the leading place was taken by learned Dominicans, owing to their strongest positions in the university sphere. Methodologically many thinkers of the Salamanca School differed in their opposition to attempts of denial of the natural law as acceptable basis for political life. Francisco de Vitoria is considered the founder of the school, and according to his method the international law is based on the natural law Disciples and followers of Vitoria developed his doctrine, making the contribution to development of the well-known school. One may consider quite logical that at the end of the 18th century their great services haven't been forgotten by descendants. As the illustration of it serve the images of representatives of the Salamanca School imprinted in a series of portraits of outstanding Spaniards. In the article among those images the portraits of Melchor Cano, Martin de Azpilcueta Navarro, Diego de Covarrubias y Leiva are considered.

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