Philip IV of Spain
Artist/Maker
Material / Technique
Dimensionsh x w: Mått 194 x 167 cm h x w x d: Ram 211 x 182 x 9 cm
Inventory numberNM 762
AcqusitionTransferred 1866 from Gripsholms slott (acquisition 1865)
Other titlesTitle (sv): Filip IV av Spanien (1605-1665) Title (en): Philip IV of Spain Alternative title: Equestrian Portrait of Philip IV of Spain
DescriptionCatalogue raisonné: Description in Flemish paintings C. 1600-C. 1800 III, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, 2010, cat.no. 235: Technical notes: The support consists of three pieces of fine and even plain weave fabric that have been sewn together. Two longer pieces are joined vertically near the centre. The left sewn to two pieces horizontally near the lower side. The tacking edges along all four sides have been preserved. The canvas has been prepared with a cool dark grey colour that completely conceals the texture of the fabric. Paint has been applied opaquely with powerful and generous brushstrokes. There are many areas of impasto. The highlights stand out in relief. The horse and rider have been painted into the reserved area left for them. The hands have been executed opaquely with vigorous brushstrokes of well mixed flesh tones. The face is finely modelled above the ground, which is visible in places. The collar has been painted over the garments. Round his neck he wears the Golden Fleece, partly overpainted. The horse has been rendered in thick layers of opaque paint with distinct, at times coarse, brushstrokes to indicate the texture of its coat. Details of the bridle and the saddle have been executed in impasto. The background is thin and rendered in opaque brushstrokes. The palette consists mainly of earth pigments with traces of red mixed with white for the saddle and bridle. There are extensive retouches in the background of the painting and the layers of paint have been flattened as a result of lining. The painting is in good condition. The painting underwent conservation treatment in 1952 and 2010. Provenance: Coll. Queen Christina; Drottningholm; transferred from Gripsholm in 1865. Exhibited: Stockholm 2010, no. 109. Bibliography: Sander IV, p. 173, no. 636 (as Velásquez); Carlén 1860, no. 636; NM Cat. 1867, p. 81 (as Gaspar de Crayer); Justi 1888, II, p. 97–98 (as Gaspar de Crayer); Granberg 1896, p. 38 (as Velásquez); Göthe 1893, p.75 (as attributed to Gaspar de Craye); Granberg 1929, p. 129, no. 90 (as Gaspar De Crayer); NM Cat. 1958, p. 238 (as anonymous Spanish painter); NM Cat. 1990, p. 432; Bjurström 1992, p. 28; Cavalli-Björkman 1999, pp. 100–101. This portrait of King Philip IV was given to Queen Christina, possibly as a result of the negotiations she had begun in 1653 with the Spanish king in the hope and confidence of his support in realizing her plans to convert. She sent several gifts to Spain through the Spanish Ambassador, don Antonio Pimentel, among them Dürer’s Adam and Eve. In return for the large equestrian portrait of herself painted by Sebastien Bourdon, today in the Prado, she received an almost life-size portrait of the Spanish king on horseback, once believed to have been the work of Velázquez but definitely executed by someone else, most likely a Flemish artist.1 Already in 1888 Justi, in his Velasquez monograph, attributes the painting to Gaspar De Crayer and identifies it with a portrait painted by the artist in Madrid some time after 1639. The king is here represented riding peacefully on a trotting horse in a transitory position on its hind legs. This was, of course, from the 1620s and onwards, the customary iconography of the king as military commander. In this context there is, however, one odd fact that deserves mention. Royal personages – especially military commanders – always wear a hat while represented riding. Christina is hatless in Bourdon’s portrait as is Philip IV in his return gift. In all probability this was an expression of mutual courtesy and of their respect for each other’s sovereignty.2 GCB 1 Göthe 1893 writes about a piece of paper attached to the canvas stating that the portrait was painted by Velasquez and given to Queen Christina in 1652 through Pimentel. Granberg 1896 notes that the portrait is not in Du Fresne’s inventory of the Queen’s paintings in Stockholm and that she could have received it later. 2 See more about the interpretation of the portraits in Cavalli-Björkman 1997 and A. Danielsson”, Sébastien Bourdon’s Equestrian Portrait of Queen Christina of Sweden-Addressed to His Catholic Majesty Philip IV”, Konsthistorisk Tidskrift, Stockholm 1989, pp. 3, 95–108. [End]
Depicted Person
Motif categoryPortrait
Collection
TechniquePainting
Object category
Keyword