Philip IV went to the front for the first time on the so-called Day of Aragon to encourage his troops in the coming battle against the French. Velázquez was included in his entourage, but not as a painter but as an honorary valet. A few days after the capture of Lérida, Philip IV had his portrait painted by the Sevillian master. The work shows the attributes befitting a monarch: the baton of command in his right hand accompanied by the gold fleece. This painting was hastily executed in 1644 in order to be sent to Madrid as quickly as possible. In turn, on 10 August 1644, the Catalan colony in Madrid requested the canvas to be exhibited under a richly embroidered canopy in the church of San Martín in Madrid.
Collection: Images
Project: 5. Power and powers in the history of Europe: oligarchies, political participation and democracy.
Chronology: XVII
Scope: Secondary Education, Baccalaureate, University
Link: https://collections.frick.org/objects/271/king-philip-iv-of-spain
Resource type: Image
Format: Oil on canvas (129,9 x 99,4 cm)
Source: Frick Gallery (Nueva York)
Language: English
Date: 1644
Owner: Álvaro Romero González (Modernalia)
Identifier: 1911.1.123
Copyright: Frick Gallery (Nueva York)
Abstract: Portrait of Philip IV painted by Velázquez on the Catalan front in 1644
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