Margaret Theresa of Spain ( es, link=no, Margarita Teresa, german: link=no, Margarete Theresia; 12 July 1651 – 12 March 1673) was, by marriage to
Leopold I,
Holy Roman Empress
The Holy Roman Empress or Empress of the Holy Roman Empire (''Kaiserin des Heiligen Römischen Reiches'') was the wife or widow of the Holy Roman Emperor. The elective dignity of Holy Roman emperor was restricted to males only, but some empresse ...
,
German Queen
German queen (german: Deutsche Königin) is the informal title used when referring to the wife of the king of the Kingdom of Germany. The official titles of the wives of German kings were Queen of the Germans and later Queen of the Romans ( la, ...
,
Archduchess of Austria
The Archduchy of Austria (german: Erzherzogtum Österreich) was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire and the nucleus of the Habsburg monarchy. With its capital at Vienna, the archduchy was centered at the Empire's southeastern peripher ...
and
Queen of Hungary
The King of Hungary ( hu, magyar király) was the ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Apostoli Magyar Király'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 175 ...
and
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
. She was the daughter of King
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered f ...
and the elder full-sister of
Charles II, the last of the
Spanish Habsburg
Habsburg Spain is a contemporary historiographical term referring to the huge extent of territories (including modern-day Spain, a piece of south-east France, eventually Portugal, and many other lands outside of the Iberian Peninsula) ruled be ...
s. She is the central figure in the famous ''
Las Meninas
''Las Meninas'' (; ) is a 1656 painting in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, by Diego Velázquez, the leading artist of the Spanish Golden Age. It has become one of the most widely analyzed works in Western painting, due to the way its complex an ...
'' by
Diego Velázquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptized June 6, 1599August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He was an individualistic artist of th ...
, and the subject of many of his later paintings.
Biography
Early years
Margaret Theresa was born on 12 July 1651 in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
as the first child of King
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered f ...
born from his second marriage with his niece
Mariana of Austria
Mariana of Austria ( es, Mariana de Austria) or Maria Anna (24 December 163416 May 1696) was List of Spanish royal consorts, Queen of Spain as the second wife of her uncle Philip IV of Spain from their marriage in 1649 until Philip died in 1665. ...
. Because of this
avunculate marriage
An avunculate marriage is a marriage with a parent's sibling or with one's sibling's child—i.e., between an uncle or aunt and their niece or nephew. Such a marriage may occur between biological (consanguine) relatives or between persons related ...
, Margaret's mother was nearly thirty years younger than her father.
Margaret's paternal grandparents were King
Philip III of Spain
Philip III ( es, Felipe III; 14 April 1578 – 31 March 1621) was King of Spain. As Philip II, he was also King of Portugal, Naples, Sicily and Sardinia and Duke of Milan from 1598 until his death in 1621.
A member of the House of Habsburg, Phi ...
and his wife
Archduchess Margaret of Austria
Archduchess Margaret of Austria (german: Margarete; french: Marguerite; nl, Margaretha; es, Margarita; 10 January 1480 – 1 December 1530) was Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands from 1507 to 1515 and again from 1519 to 1530. She was the firs ...
. Her maternal grandparents were
Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand III (Ferdinand Ernest; 13 July 1608, in Graz – 2 April 1657, in Vienna) was from 1621 Archduke of Austria, King of Hungary from 1625, King of Croatia and Bohemia from 1627 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1637 until his death in 1657.
...
and his wife
Infanta Maria Anna of Spain
, house = Habsburg
, father = Philip III of Spain
, mother = Margaret of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = El Escorial, Spain
, death_date =
, death_place = Linz, Austria
, burial_place = Imperial Crypt
, ...
, the daughter of her paternal grandparents.
[Martin Mutschlechner: ''Philip IV: marriage and offspring'' in: habsburger.net](_blank)
etrieved 27 October 2016
The marriage of her parents was purely made for political reasons, mainly the search for a new male heir for the Spanish throne after the early death of
Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias
Balthasar Charles (17 October 1629 – 9 October 1646), Prince of Asturias, Prince of Girona, Duke of Montblanc, Count of Cervera, and Lord of Balaguer, Prince of Viana was heir apparent to all the kingdoms, states and dominions of the Spa ...
in 1646. Besides him, the other only surviving child of Philip IV's first marriage was the Infanta
Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...
, who later became the wife of King
Louis XIV of France
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Versa ...
. After Margaret, between 1655 and 1661, four more children (a daughter and three sons) were born from the marriage between Philip IV and Mariana of Austria, but only one survived infancy, the future King
Charles II of Spain
Charles II of Spain (''Spanish: Carlos II,'' 6 November 1661 – 1 November 1700), known as the Bewitched (''Spanish: El Hechizado''), was the last Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Empire. Best remembered for his physical disabilities and the War o ...
.
Margaret did not develop the serious health issues and disabilities (because of the close
consanguinity
Consanguinity ("blood relation", from Latin '' consanguinitas'') is the characteristic of having a kinship with another person (being descended from a common ancestor).
Many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting people who are related by blood fr ...
of her parents) that her younger brother had shown since his birth. During her childhood she was once seriously ill, but survived. According to contemporaries, Margaret had an attractive appearance and lively character. Her parents and close friends called her the "little angel". She grew up in the Queen's chambers in the
Royal Alcazar of Madrid
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a cit ...
surrounded by many maids and servants. The Infanta loved candies, which she constantly hid from the physicians who cared for the health of her teeth. Both Margaret's father and maternal grandfather Emperor Ferdinand III loved her deeply. In his private letters King Philip IV called her "my joy". At the same time, Margaret was brought up in accordance with the strict etiquette of the Madrid court, and received a good education.
Betrothal and marriage
![Margarita Teresa of Spain Mourningdress](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Margarita_Teresa_of_Spain_Mourningdress.jpg)
In the second half of the 1650s at the imperial court in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
the necessity developed for another dynastic marriage between the Spanish and Austrian branches of the
House of Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
. The union was needed to strengthen the position of both countries, especially against the Kingdom of France. At first the proposals were for Maria Theresa, the eldest daughter of Philip IV, to marry the heir of the Holy Roman Empire,
Archduke Leopold Ignaz. But in 1660 and under the terms of the
Treaty of the Pyrenees
The Treaty of the Pyrenees (french: Traité des Pyrénées; es, Tratado de los Pirineos; ca, Tractat dels Pirineus) was signed on 7 November 1659 on Pheasant Island, and ended the Franco-Spanish War that had begun in 1635.
Negotiations were ...
, the Infanta was married to the French King; as a part of her marriage contract, she was asked to renounce her claims to the Spanish throne in return for a monetary settlement as part of her dowry, which was never paid.
Then began discussion about a marriage between Margaret and the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I (who was her maternal uncle and paternal cousin). However, the Madrid court hesitated to agree to this proposal, because the infanta could inherit the Spanish crown if her little brother died. The count of Fuensaldaña, Spanish ambassador in France, suggested the infanta as a possible bride for King
Charles II of England
Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.
Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...
. However, King Philip IV rejected this idea, replying that the King of England should look for a wife in France.
In October 1662, the new Imperial ambassador in the Spanish Kingdom, Count Francis Eusebius of Pötting, began one of his main diplomatic assignments, which was the celebration of the marriage between the Infanta and the Emperor. Negotiations by the Spanish side were led by
Ramiro Núñez de Guzmán
Ramiro Núñez de Guzmán (León, Spain, c. 1600 – Madrid, 1668) was a Spanish nobleman.
Biography
He served as viceroy of Naples 1637-44 under King Philip IV of Spain. He was the son-in-law of Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares.
He he ...
, Duke of Medina de las Torres. On 6 April 1663, the betrothal between Margaret and Leopold I was finally announced. The marriage contract was signed on 18 December. Before the official wedding ceremony (which, according to custom, had to take place in Vienna) another portrait of the Infanta was sent, in order for the Emperor to know his bride.
King Philip IV died on 17 September 1665. In his will, he did not mention Margaret's betrothal; in fact, the context in which the document was prepared suggests that the late monarch still hesitated to marry his daughter to his Austrian relative because he sought to ensure her rights as sole ruler of the Spanish crown in case of the extinction of his male line. Mariana of Austria, now Dowager Queen and Regent of the Kingdom on behalf of her minor son Charles II, delayed the wedding of her daughter. The marriage was agreed upon only after intense Imperial diplomacy efforts. On 25 April 1666, the marriage by proxy was finally celebrated in Madrid, in a ceremony attended not only by the Dowager Queen, King Charles II and the Imperial ambassador but also by the local nobility; the groom was represented by
Antonio de la Cerda, 7th Duke of Medinaceli
Antonio de la Cerda, 7th Duke of Medinaceli, Grandee of Spain, (in full, es, Don Antonio Juan de la Cerda y Toledo, séptimo duque de Medinaceli, sexto marqués de Cogolludo, segundo marqués de la Laguna de Camero Viejo, sexto conde del Puerto de ...
.
[A. Rodríguez Villa: ''Dos viajes regios (1679–1666)'', Boletín de la Real Academia de la Historia 1903 N° 42, pp. 369–381.]
On 28 April 1666 Margaret traveled from Madrid to Vienna, accompanied by her personal retinue. The Infanta arrived at
Denia, where she rested for some days before embarking on the Spanish Royal fleet on 16 July, in turn escorted by ships of the
Order of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...
and the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany ( it, Granducato di Toscana; la, Magnus Ducatus Etruriae) was an Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In th ...
. Then (after a short stop in Barcelona because Margaret had some health issues) the cortege sailed to the port of
Finale Ligure
Finale Ligure ( lij, O Finâ, locally ; la, Finarium) is a ''comune'' on the Gulf of Genoa in the Province of Savona in Liguria, Italy. It is considered part of the Italian Riviera.
Geography
Known for its white sand beaches and its views, Final ...
, arriving on 20 August. There, Margaret was received by Luis Guzman Ponce de Leon, Governor of Milan. The cortege left Finale on 1 September and arrived in Milan ten days later, although the official entry was not celebrated until 15 September. After spending almost all September in Milan, the Infanta continued the journey through
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
, arriving in early October in
Trento
Trento ( or ; Ladin and lmo, Trent; german: Trient ; cim, Tria; , ), also anglicized as Trent, is a city on the Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th centu ...
. At every stop Margaret received celebrations in her honor. On 8 October the Spanish retinue arrived at the city of
Roveredo
Roveredo is a municipality in the Moesa Region in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.
Geography
Roveredo has an area, , of . Of this area, 8.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 75% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 3.1% is ...
, where the head of Margaret's cortege,
Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, 8th Duke of Alburquerque
Francisco Fernández de la Cueva y Enriquez de Cabrera, 8th Duke of Alburquerque, 6th Marquess of Cuéllar, 8th Count of Ledesma, GE, KOS (1619 – March 27, 1676) was a Spanish military officer and viceroy of New Spain from August 15, 165 ...
officially handed the Infanta to
Ferdinand Joseph, Prince of Dietrichstein
Ferdinand Joseph, Prince of Dietrichstein (25 July 1628 – 1 December 1698), was a German prince member of the House of Dietrichstein, 3rd Prince (''Fürst'') of Dietrichstein zu Nikolsburg, Princely Count (''gefürsteter Graf'') of Tarasp, Baron ...
and Count
Ernst Adalbert von Harrach
Count Ernst Adalbert von Harrach (4 November 1598 – 25 October 1667) was an Austrian Catholic Cardinal who was appointed Archbishop of Prague and Prince-Bishop of Trento. His name in Czech is Arnošt Vojtěch hrabě z Harrachu.
Early life
Adal ...
,
Prince-Bishop of Trento, representants of Leopold I. On 20 October the new Austrian cortege left Roveredo, crossing the
Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
, through
Carinthia
Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...
and
Styria
Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...
, and arrived on 25 November at the district of
Schottwien
Schottwien is a town in the district of Neunkirchen in the Austrian state of Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the ...
, twelve miles from Vienna where the Emperor came to receive his bride.
Holy Roman Empress and German Queen
The Infanta formally entered
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
On 5 December 1666. The official marriage ceremony was celebrated seven days later. The Viennese celebrations of the imperial marriage were among the most splendid of all the
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
era, and lasted almost two years.
The Emperor ordered the construction of an open-air theatre near the present Burggarten, with a capacity of 5,000 people. For Margaret's birthday in July 1668, the theatre hosted the premiere of the opera ''
Il pomo d'oro
''Il pomo d'oro'' (''The Golden Apple'') is an opera in a prologue and five acts by the Italian composer Antonio Cesti with a libretto by Francesco Sbarra (1611-1668). It was first performed before the imperial court in a specially constructed ope ...
'' (The Golden Apple). Composed by
Antonio Cesti
Pietro Marc'Antonio Cesti () (baptism 5 August 162314 October 1669), known today primarily as an Italian composer of the Baroque era, was also a singer (tenor), and organist. He was "the most celebrated Italian musician of his generation".
Biogra ...
, the opera was called the "staging of the century" by contemporaries due to its magnificence and expense. The year before, the Emperor gave an equestrian ballet where he personally mounted on his horse, Speranza; due to technical adaptations, the ballet gave spectators the impression that horses and carriages were hovering in the air.
Despite the age difference, Leopold I's unattractive appearance and Margaret's health problems, according to contemporaries they had a happy marriage. The Empress always called her husband "Uncle" (de: ''Onkel''), and he called her "Gretl".
[Bernhard Kathan: ''Frühe Gebärmaschinen'' in: hiddenmuseum.net](_blank)
etrieved 28 October 2016 The couple had many common interests, especially in art and music.
[Alfred A. Strnad: ''Margarethe (Margarita Maria Teresa), Infantin von Spanien'' in: deutsche-biographie.de](_blank)
etrieved 28 October 2016
During her six years of marriage, Margaret gave birth to four children, of whom only one survived infancy:
* Ferdinand Wenceslaus Joseph Michael Eleazar (28 September 1667 – 13 January 1668),
Archduke of Austria
This is a list of people who have ruled either the Margraviate of Austria, the Duchy of Austria or the Archduchy of Austria. From 976 until 1246, the margraviate and its successor, the duchy, was ruled by the House of Babenberg. At that time, t ...
.
[ Theodor Berger: ''Die Durchläuchtige Welt, Oder: Kurtzgefaßte Genealogische ...'', Vol. 1](_blank)
etrieved 28 October 2016
*
Maria Antonia Josepha Benedicta Rosalia Petronella (18 January 1669 – 24 December 1692),
Archduchess of Austria
The Archduchy of Austria (german: Erzherzogtum Österreich) was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire and the nucleus of the Habsburg monarchy. With its capital at Vienna, the archduchy was centered at the Empire's southeastern peripher ...
,
who inherited her mother's claims to the Spanish throne, married
Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
Maximilian, Maximillian or Maximiliaan (Maximilien in French) is a male given name.
The name " Max" is considered a shortening of "Maximilian" as well as of several other names.
List of people
Monarchs
*Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1459 ...
and was the mother of
Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria
Joseph Ferdinand Leopold of Bavaria (28 October 1692 – 6 February 1699) was the son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (1679–1705, 1714–1726) and his first wife, Maria Antonia of Austria, daughter of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, ...
.
* John Leopold (born and died 20 February 1670),
Archduke of Austria
This is a list of people who have ruled either the Margraviate of Austria, the Duchy of Austria or the Archduchy of Austria. From 976 until 1246, the margraviate and its successor, the duchy, was ruled by the House of Babenberg. At that time, t ...
.
* Maria Anna Josepha Antonia Apollonia Scholastica (9 February 1672 – 23 February 1672),
Archduchess of Austria
The Archduchy of Austria (german: Erzherzogtum Österreich) was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire and the nucleus of the Habsburg monarchy. With its capital at Vienna, the archduchy was centered at the Empire's southeastern peripher ...
.
The Empress reportedly inspired her husband to expel the Jews from Vienna, because she believed that they were to blame for her children's deaths. During the
Corpus Christi celebration of 1670, the Emperor ordered the destruction of the Vienna synagogue and a church was built on the site on his orders.
Even after her marriage, Margaret kept her Spanish customs and ways. Surrounded almost exclusively by her native retinue (which included secretaries, confessors, and doctors), she loved Spanish music and ballets and therefore hardly learned the German language.
Death
Weakened due to six pregnancies in six years (which included four living childbirths and two miscarriages
) and four months into her seventh pregnancy, Margaret died on 12 March 1673, at the age of 21. She was buried in the
Imperial Crypt
The Imperial Crypt (german: Kaisergruft), also called the Capuchin Crypt (''Kapuzinergruft''), is a burial chamber beneath the Capuchin Church and monastery in Vienna, Austria. It was founded in 1618 and dedicated in 1632, and located on the Neu ...
, in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
. Only four months later, the widower Emperor – despite his grief for the death of his "only Margareta" (as he remembered her) – entered into a second marriage with
Archduchess Claudia Felicitas of Austria, member of the Tyrol branch of the House of Habsburg.
After Margaret's death, her rights over the Spanish throne were inherited by her only surviving daughter Maria Antonia, who in turn passed them to her only surviving son Prince Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria when she died in 1692. After Joseph Ferdinand's early death in 1699, the rights of inheritance were disputed by both Emperor Leopold I and King Louis XIV of France, son-in-law of King Philip IV. The outcome of the
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
was the creation of the Spanish branch of the
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanis ...
in the person of King
Philip V Philip V may refer to:
* Philip V of Macedon (221–179 BC)
* Philip V of France (1293–1322)
* Philip II of Spain, also Philip V, Duke of Burgundy (1526–1598)
* Philip V of Spain
Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was ...
, Margaret's great-nephew.
Depictions in art
Shortly before the birth of Margaret, painter
Diego Velázquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptized June 6, 1599August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He was an individualistic artist of th ...
returned to the Spanish court on Madrid. From 1653 to 1659 a series of portraits of the Infanta were painted. Three of them – "Infanta Margarita in a pink dress" (1660), ''Infanta Margarita in a silver dress'' (1656) and ''
Infanta Margarita in a blue dress'' (1659) were sent to the Imperial court in Vienna, and now are displayed in the
Kunsthistorisches Museum
The Kunsthistorisches Museum ( "Museum of Art History", often referred to as the "Museum of Fine Arts") is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on the Vienna Ring Road, it is crowned with an octagonal do ...
. In the last paintings of the 8-year-old Infanta made by Velázquez, a more mature and formal attitude of Margaret can be seen, due to her upcoming marriage to the Emperor.
The most famous painting by Velazquez in the series of portraits of the Infanta was ''
Las Meninas
''Las Meninas'' (; ) is a 1656 painting in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, by Diego Velázquez, the leading artist of the Spanish Golden Age. It has become one of the most widely analyzed works in Western painting, due to the way its complex an ...
'' (1656), currently in the
Museo del Prado
The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the ...
in Madrid. In it, the artist painted the 5-year-old Infanta in his studio while working on a portrait of her parents. She is surrounded by her maids of honor and other courtiers, but her eyes are riveted to her parents, whose reflection is visible in the mirror on the wall. The canvas was the inspiration for
Picasso
Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...
, who in 1957 created more than forty variations of this pattern.
The image of Margaret in the paintings by Velázquez inspired not only painters. The poet
Boris Pasternak
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (; rus, Бори́с Леони́дович Пастерна́к, p=bɐˈrʲis lʲɪɐˈnʲidəvʲɪtɕ pəstɛrˈnak; 30 May 1960) was a Russian poet, novelist, composer and literary translator. Composed in 1917, Pa ...
mentions it in a poem of 1923 "Butterfly Storm", in which she appears to him as a vision during a thunderstorm in Moscow. The first image in this poem who Pasternak contrasted with the portraits of the Infanta was mentioned by
Vyacheslav Vsevolodovich Ivanov
Vyacheslav Vsevolodovich Ivanov (russian: Вячесла́в Все́володович Ива́нов , 21 August 1929 – 7 October 2017) was a prominent Soviet/Russian philologist, semiotician and Indo-Europeanist probably best known for his gl ...
, in his work "Eternal Childhood".
The ''
Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Pink Dress
''Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Pink Dress'' is a 1660 oil on canvas portrait of Margaret Theresa of Spain by the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez, though his identification as its author is not considered secure. It is now in the Prado Museum in M ...
'' (1660), formerly credited to Velázquez, is now considered one of the masterpieces of his son-in-law,
Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo
Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo (c.1612 – February 10, 1667)
was a Spanish Baroque portrait and landscape painter, the most distinguished of the followers of his father-in-law Velázquez, whose style he imitated more closely than did any o ...
. To Martínez del Mazo also belongs the latter "Portrait of the Infanta Margarita in mourning dress" (1666), in which she is depicted shortly after her father's death and shortly before her wedding. Both paintings are also included in the collection of the Museo del Prado. The authority of the "Portrait of the Infanta Margarita" (1655) currently at the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
, is still questioned by researchers.
There are portraits of an adult Margaret by a number of European artists, most of which are stored in the collections of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Among them, "a full-length portrait of the Infanta Margarita Teresa, the Empress" (1665) by Gerard Du Chateau and "Portrait of Empress Margarita Teresa in a theatrical costume" (1667) by
Jan Thomas van Ieperen
Jan Thomas or Jan Thomas van Ieperen (5 February 1617 – 6 September 1673) was a Flemish Baroque painter, draughtsman and printmaker. He was first active in Antwerp where he worked in the workshop of Rubens. He later became court painter ...
. One of the last portraits of Margaret is the "Portrait of Empress Margarita Teresa and her daughter Maria Antonia" (1671) by
Benjamin Block
Benjamin Block or Blok (1631–1690) was a seventeenth-century German- Hungarian Baroque painter who married the flower painter Anna Katharina Block. He is known for his portrait paintings.
Biography
Block was born into an artistic family in ...
, currently in the
Hofburg Palace
The Hofburg is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty. Located in the centre of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century and expanded several times afterwards. It also served as the imperial winter residence, as Schönbrunn ...
, where she is depicted with her only surviving child.
''Retrato de la Emperatriz Margarita Teresa de Austria'' in: internationalportraitgallery.blogspot.ru
etrieved 28 October 2016 Numerous copies of her portraits are also preserved, and are now kept in the museum collections around the world.
Image:Diego Velázquez 024.jpg, ''Infanta Margarita Teresa in pink dress'' (1653), Velázquez, Kunsthistorisches Museum
The Kunsthistorisches Museum ( "Museum of Art History", often referred to as the "Museum of Fine Arts") is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on the Vienna Ring Road, it is crowned with an octagonal do ...
, Vienna
Image:Diego Velázquez 029.jpg, ''Infanta Margarita Teresa'' (1655), Velázquez, Musée du Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
, Paris
Image:Diego_Velázquez_028b.jpg, ''Infanta Margarita Teresa in silver dress'' (1656), Velázquez, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Image:Las Meninas, by Diego Velázquez, from Prado in Google Earth.jpg, ''Las Meninas
''Las Meninas'' (; ) is a 1656 painting in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, by Diego Velázquez, the leading artist of the Spanish Golden Age. It has become one of the most widely analyzed works in Western painting, due to the way its complex an ...
'' (1656), Velázquez, Prado Museum
The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the ...
, Madrid
Image:Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez - Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Blue Dress - Google Art Project.jpg, '' Infanta Margarita Teresa in blue dress'' (1659), by Velázquez, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Image:Diego Velázquez 026.jpg, '' Infanta Margarita Teresa in pink dress'' (1660) by Velázquez or Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo
Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo (c.1612 – February 10, 1667)
was a Spanish Baroque portrait and landscape painter, the most distinguished of the followers of his father-in-law Velázquez, whose style he imitated more closely than did any o ...
, Prado Museum, Madrid
Image:Gerard Du Chateau 001.jpg, ''Full-length portrait of the Infanta Margarita Teresa, the Empress'' (1666), by Gerard Du Chateau, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
Image:1671 Margarita.jpg, ''Empress Margarita Teresa and her daughter Maria Antonia'' (1671) by Benjamin Block
Benjamin Block or Blok (1631–1690) was a seventeenth-century German- Hungarian Baroque painter who married the flower painter Anna Katharina Block. He is known for his portrait paintings.
Biography
Block was born into an artistic family in ...
, Hofburg Palace
The Hofburg is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty. Located in the centre of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century and expanded several times afterwards. It also served as the imperial winter residence, as Schönbrunn ...
, Vienna
Ancestors
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,
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, style="text-align: left;", Notes:
References
Bibliography
* Andics, Hellmut, ''Die Frauen der Habsburger'' (Vienna: Jugend und Volk, 1985). In German.
* Beutler, Gigi, ''Die Kaisergruft'' (Vienna, 2001). In German.
* Hamann, Brigitte, ''Die Habsburger: Ein Biografisches Lexicon'' (Munich: Piper, 1988). In German.
* Ingrao, Charles W., Editor and author, ''In Quest and Crisis: Emperor Joseph I and the Habsburg Monarchy'', Hardcover: 278 pages, Purdue University Press (1 June 1979), in English, ,
* Ingrao, Charles W., ''The Habsburg Monarchy, 1618–1815 (New Approaches to European History)'' aperback # Paperback: 288 pages, Cambridge University Press; 2 edition (2 October 2000), in English, ,
* Kann, Robert A., ''A History of the Habsburg Empire, 1526–1918'', Paperback, 661 pages, University of California Press, edition (26 November 1980), in English .
* Kann, Robert A., ''The Peoples of the Eastern Habsburg Lands, 1526–1918'' (History of East Central Europe), ardcover# 464 pages, Univ of Washington Press, (July 1984), in English, ,
* Magosci, Paul Robert, ´´Historical Atlas of Central Europe (History of East Central Europe, Vol. 1, 1), Paperback: 288 pages, University of Washington Press, in English, Revised Exp edition (October 2002), ,
Olivan Santaliestra, Laura, "My sister is growing up very healthy and beautiful, she loves me" – The Childhood of the Infantas Maria Teresa and Margarita Maria at Court'', pp. 165–185
in: Grace E. Coolidge – The Formation of the Child in Early Modern Spain, Farnham: Ashgate Publishing 2014,
* Wheatcroft, Andrew, "The Habsburgs, Embodiyng Empire" aperback 416 pages, Penguin Books, (Non-Classics) (1 May 1997), in English, ,
External links
Infanta Margarita Teresa in Blue Dress
at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
Royal titles
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Margaret Theresa Of Spain
Austrian royal consorts
Holy Roman Empresses
Spanish infantas
1651 births
1673 deaths
Burials at the Imperial Crypt
Deaths in childbirth
Nobility from Madrid
Philip IV of Spain
Austrian princesses
Bohemian queens consort
German queens consort
Hungarian queens consort
Italian queens consort
Duchesses of Teschen
Spanish people of Austrian descent
17th-century House of Habsburg
17th-century Austrian people
17th-century Spanish people
17th-century women of the Holy Roman Empire
Wives of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
Daughters of kings