Equestrian Portrait of Prince Balthasar Charles
Artist: Diego Velázquez
Year Composed: 1635
Artistic Movement: Baroque
Nationality: Spain
Floor Found in Château: Second Garden
Year Composed: 1635
Artistic Movement: Baroque
Nationality: Spain
Floor Found in Château: Second Garden
About the Artwork
In 1635, Diego Velázquez was commissioned by King Philip IV to paint an equestrian portrait of his son, Prince Balthasar Charles. Velázquez's Equestrian Portrait of Prince Balthasar Charles was created and meant to be hung within the Salón de Reinos (Spanish for the "Hall of the Kingdom" or the "Hall of Realms"), a wing of the Buen Retiro Palace, a recreational palace also commissioned by King Philip IV. The portrait was to be hung between equestrian portraits of the prince's parents: King Philip IV and Elisabeth of France (both portraits were also painted by Velázquez) However, this portrait currently hangs within the Museo Nacional del Prado (Madrid, Spain). The landscape between all three paintings are similar, symbolically and visually placing the trio within the same family. The artist depicts the expression of the boy prince as calm and level-headed, which signifies the confidence needed to be an expert horseman and military leader.
About the Artist
As the leading painter of King Philip IV's court, Spanish artist Diego Velázquez was the preeminent master of the Spanish Baroque Age. Replicating the style of Caravaggio with his extreme use of chiaroscuro, Velázquez was able to exhibit an abundance of drama and emotion within his paintings. Aside from his genre scenes, Velázquez depicted portraits and scenes of Spanish nobility, including his paintings of Philip IV in Brown and Silver (1632), Portrait of Pablo de Valladolid (1635), and his most famous work: Las Meninas (1656). If Caravaggio was the master of dramatic, tenebrist paintings in Italy, Velázquez was his counterpart in Spain.
About the Movement
Equestrian Portrait of Prince Balthasar Charles was composed in the Baroque Age of art. After the Renaissance Age, Baroque art was encouraged and influenced by the Catholic Church and the Counter Reformation to bring citizens back to Catholicism from the simple and austere Protestantism. Baroque art tended to be highly decorative and extravagant, creating dramatic scenes and vivid narratives through its painting and sculpture. Some of the most famous Baroque artists included Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the Carracci Brothers (Annibale, Agostino, and Ludovico), Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, and Pietro da Cortona.
Location of Original Work of Art: Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain
In 1635, Diego Velázquez was commissioned by King Philip IV to paint an equestrian portrait of his son, Prince Balthasar Charles. Velázquez's Equestrian Portrait of Prince Balthasar Charles was created and meant to be hung within the Salón de Reinos (Spanish for the "Hall of the Kingdom" or the "Hall of Realms"), a wing of the Buen Retiro Palace, a recreational palace also commissioned by King Philip IV. The portrait was to be hung between equestrian portraits of the prince's parents: King Philip IV and Elisabeth of France (both portraits were also painted by Velázquez) However, this portrait currently hangs within the Museo Nacional del Prado (Madrid, Spain). The landscape between all three paintings are similar, symbolically and visually placing the trio within the same family. The artist depicts the expression of the boy prince as calm and level-headed, which signifies the confidence needed to be an expert horseman and military leader.
About the Artist
As the leading painter of King Philip IV's court, Spanish artist Diego Velázquez was the preeminent master of the Spanish Baroque Age. Replicating the style of Caravaggio with his extreme use of chiaroscuro, Velázquez was able to exhibit an abundance of drama and emotion within his paintings. Aside from his genre scenes, Velázquez depicted portraits and scenes of Spanish nobility, including his paintings of Philip IV in Brown and Silver (1632), Portrait of Pablo de Valladolid (1635), and his most famous work: Las Meninas (1656). If Caravaggio was the master of dramatic, tenebrist paintings in Italy, Velázquez was his counterpart in Spain.
About the Movement
Equestrian Portrait of Prince Balthasar Charles was composed in the Baroque Age of art. After the Renaissance Age, Baroque art was encouraged and influenced by the Catholic Church and the Counter Reformation to bring citizens back to Catholicism from the simple and austere Protestantism. Baroque art tended to be highly decorative and extravagant, creating dramatic scenes and vivid narratives through its painting and sculpture. Some of the most famous Baroque artists included Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the Carracci Brothers (Annibale, Agostino, and Ludovico), Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, and Pietro da Cortona.
Location of Original Work of Art: Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain