The portrait ''Equestrian Portrait of Elisabeth of France'' was painted by
Diego Velázquez of
Elisabeth of France ''circa'' 1635, originally for the
Hall of Realms
The ''Salón de Reinos'' (translated as "Hall of the Kingdoms" or "Hall of Realms") or ''salón grande'' ("great hall") is a 17th-century building in Madrid, originally a wing of the Buen Retiro Palace. The Salón de Reinos and the Casón del Bu ...
, originally a wing of the
Buen Retiro Palace
Buen Retiro Palace (Spanish: ''Palacio del Buen Retiro'') in Madrid was a large palace complex designed by the architect Alonso Carbonell (c. 1590–1660) and built on the orders of Philip IV of Spain as a secondary residence and place of recrea ...
in Madrid.
It has been in the
Museo del Prado since the gallery's institution in 1819.
History of the work
Velázquez had been commissioned to paint a series of five
equestrian portrait
An equestrian portrait is a portrait that shows the subject on horseback. Equestrian portraits suggest a high-status sitter, who in many cases was a monarch or other member of the nobility, and the portraits can also carry a suggestion of chivalry ...
s of the royal family
*Felipe III and his wife Queen Margaret of Austria,
*Felipe IV, his wife Elizabeth of France and their son Baltazar Carlos. This last was smaller than those of the other family members, as it was intended to be hung on a door and therefore viewed from a lower perspective.
This work of Velázquez had significant input from members of his workshop. The technical studies conducted in the Prado Museum under the direction of Carmen Garrido indicated that the five equestrian portraits were painted at the same time and with the same preparation. The idea that Velázquez retouched a painting by an earlier painter to add detail to the queen's clothing and the trappings of the horse has received support from a number of critics; X-rays reveal a painting under the visible one, in which the horse's girth is visible and the queen's clothing is simpler than the existing one. Later, when Velázquez was finishing details in the queen's head and the horse's legs, a more patient painter filled in the meticulous details of the embroidery, thus obscuring details of the painting previously laid down.
Description of the work
The queen is depicted in profile, wearing a jacket with embroidered stars and a gold-embroidered skirt with her arms and initials. The horse is depicted as an overo with a long mane and forelock falling over its face, doing the passage gait; it is facing left in order to provide symmetry with the portrait of Elisabeth's husband, in which work he is facing right.
See also
*
List of works by Diego Velázquez
This is a list of paintings and drawings by the 17th-century Spanish artist Diego Velázquez. Velázquez is estimated to have produced between only 110 and 120 known canvases. Among these paintings, however, are many widely known and influential w ...
References
External links
Queen Elisabeth of France on Horseback at the Museo del Prado
{{DEFAULTSORT:Equestrian Portrait Of Elisabeth Of France
Elisabeth
Elisabeth of France
1636 paintings
Elisabeth of France
Elisabeth of France