(Sevilla 1599–1660 Madrid)
Portrait of King Philip IV, dressed in black and wearing the order of the Golden Fleece,
oil on canvas, 206 x 108 cm, framed

We are grateful to Gloria Martínez-Leiva for suggesting the attribution of the present painting after inspection of the original and for her help in cataloguing this lot. A certificate is available.

This recently rediscovered portrait employs Velázquez’s technique of ‘stripping away of the remaining vestiges of regal paraphernalia in accordance with the notion that there is no more effective expression of majesty than the royal person himself’ (see G. Finaldi, Philip IV, in: Velázquez, exhibition catalogue, London, 2006, p.172). It was after his return from Italy in 1651 that Velázquez set up his studio in the Alcázar of Madrid in ‘El Cuarto del Príncipe’, the place that is reflected in Las Meninas. His studio practise is documented by the presence of his first assistants. One of them, Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo, would even become his son-in-law.

Velázquez was increasingly employed to spread the royal image and to contribute to the monarchy’s iconography (see J. Portús, Diego Velázquez, 1650-1660. Retrato y cultura cortesana, in: Velázquez y la familia de Philip IV., exhibition catalogue, Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado, 2013, p. 37). The present composition combines the image of the older king with a full-length type of portrait that Velazquesz had used earlier on in his career. King Philip was 46 when Velázquez returned from Italy. He was somewhat reluctant to sit for his favourite artist, partly because he did not want to see his aging image, and partly because of Velázquez’s almost legendary slow speed of working. In a letter, dated 8 July 1653 to the Sor Luisa, Philip remarked: ‘I haven’t sent you my portrait because I had not wanted to be portrayed for the last nine years and I am not inclined to pass through the phlegm of Velazquez again and seeing me getting older’ (see Corpus Velazqueño, Madrid 2000, p. 286, doc. 340).

Despite the king’s refusal to go through new portrait sittings, from the mid-1650s there were at least two bust-length portraits made by Velázquez. One of these is in the Prado (see fig. 1), and another one is in the National Gallery of London (inv. no. NG745). These two portraits would appear to be the models used for some variations by the master and his royal workshop. The present painting is a rare combination of the physiognomy of the 1650s portraits in the Prado and London, and a full-length type, which also repurposed a compositional scheme previously developed. It shows strong similarities with the portrait of the Infante Don Carlos, Philip IV’s brother, painted by Velázquez around 1626 (see fig. 2).

Almost all versions based on the Madrid and Prado models include a very limited chromatic range, predominantly black, greys and reds. The king is often depicted just wearing black, with the Order of the Golden Fleece being the only element of royal iconography. The only element that introduces a change in the composition from the 20s to the 50s is the red curtain used by Velázquez. The royal workshop painters apparently tried to follow their master’s artistic development here. The curtain is painted with rapid, almost wild brushstrokes, following the almost ‘impressionistic’ optical style which he began to use late in his career. Gloria Martinez points to a variant of the present composition, with a different background, showing the king wearing just one glove and holding his hat, but depicting him as possibly being a few years older (Museo del Prado, inv. no. P1232, on loan to the Biblioteca-Museu Víctor Balaguer, Vilanueva i la Geltrú). This painting is attributed to Pedro de Villafranca Malagón, painter and engraver in the royal studio. Very likely Malagóns painting and the present portrait relate to each other or both used the same model, possibly even a lost version by Velasquez. This demonstrates the working practice of the assistants in the Royal Studio of the Alcazar in Madrid, who, based on a prime example developed and painted by the master, produced variants. It is highly likely that Velázquez himself supervised these royal effigies to be sent to foreign courts during the final stages.

The identification of the Monarch as ‘Phelipe IIII.’ would appear to suggest that the present painting was intended to go to a foreign, possibly the French court. There are many documented examples of workshop paintings being sent to foreign courts, for example the pair of portraits by Velázquez and his workshop that were ordered on the 24 September 1632 and sent to Vienna (now Kunsthistorisches Museum, inv. nos. 314, 731).