Cortesanos - History Lab

The family of Philip V

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:03 +0000

Van Loo’s work shows King Philip V with his second wife, Isabella Farnese, who appears in the centre of the composition. Alongside them are his descendants, the future Ferdinand VI (son of his first marriage to Maria Luisa Gabriela of Savoy) and Charles III, accompanied by their wives. Contrasting attitudes can be observed: the exhaustion of Philip V compared to the fullness of Isabella Farnese, the elegance of Fernando VI and the presence of the then King of Naples, Charless III. The work as a whole excludes the psychological depth of the sitters. In addition to its genealogical value, the work is reminiscent of the organisation of Dutch conversation paintings in which the family is shown as a public institution. From an artistic point of view, it marks the evolution of the French school with the apotheosis of the collective portrait and a more developed conception than the earlier paintings by Rigaud, Mignard and Largillerre.

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The family of Charles IV

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:03 +0000

The Family of Carlos IV belongs to a series of royal portraits begun by Goya in 1799, on the eve of Napoleon’s Consulate, which promised to pacify the tumultuous past decade. Goya placed the fourteen figures depicted in an austere interior without carpets, decorating only the back wall. The painting is based, as has often been claimed, on Las Meninas of 1656. The modifications made by the artist from Zaragoza differed from Velázquez’s details, such as the definition of space (none in this work) and the close relationship of Velázquez’s figures as opposed to the introspective depictions of arlos IV’s family. In the centre of the painting is the figure of the queen, dressed like the other infantas in a brilliant French-style dress, on which she wears the sash of the Royal Order of Noble Ladies founded by her in 1794. In addition, she imitates the Infanta’s posture, which several historians considered to be a satire on the Queen because of her advanced age. Emerging from the half-light, Ferdinand appears dressed in the blue of the principality of Asturias. His brother, Carlos María Isidro, holds him by the waist, a curious attitude that could be interpreted as a predisposition to succeed Ferdinand if necessary, and which seems to announce his intention in 1833 to claim the throne for his niece Isabella, a fact that would lead to the future Carlist Wars. The lady in lost profile represents Ferdinand’s future wife, thought to be Caroline of Saxe-Weimar, until in 1802 it was Maria Antonia of Naples. King Charles IV is depicted in full dress, with a golden fleece, and bands and badges of the order of Charles III, the Neapolitan order of San Gennaro and the four Spanish orders (Santiago, Montesa, Calatrava and Alcántara).

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The Royal Cloth

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:14 +0000

Philip IV and his courtly circle are hunting a wild boar in a forest clearing in one of the most common courtly practices. The monarch is depicted on horseback in the centre of the composition carrying a spear intended for hunting while accompanied by the Count Duke of Olivares and probably his two brothers. Wild boar hunting was an expensive as well as traditional practice that marked special occasions when the king hunted the animal within the boundaries of a canvas. This painting by Velázquez was intended for the Torre de la Parada. This image is an excellent resource for an insight into the leisure and festive celebrations of the Court in the Modern Age.

The post The Royal Cloth first appeared on History Lab.