Elizabeth of Valois and Philip II
The reign of Felipe II is one of the most studied due to the importance it had in our country and in Europe. Of the many possible ways that exist to express monarchical and political power, Felipe II, who was a great patron, used court portraits to defend and maintain the political system of which he was a part.[1] The new knowledge related to the importance of the image as a primary source is the main reason for wanting to carry out a review of the female images of the time, with the intention of launching new interpretations, knowing whether or not they convey the same story as the written sources, if they are complementary or even sometimes contrary.
Written sources for their conservation serve mainly correspondence and legal matters, so they can overlook aspects that an image is capable of transmitting. In addition, in the case at hand, the court or state portraits were made to convey a very clear idea of the Spanish monarchy.
The main contribution of this article is to focus attention on the feminine focus of the monarchy, which as a general rule, due to the historical role of women, has been less studied, and to place the image as an important historical source of knowledge, since this is in often subject to written sources.
Elizabeth of Valois and Philip II
Of the female figures present throughout the life of Felipe II, in this article we will review Isabel de Valois, who was the monarch’s third wife, due to the importance of this marriage.
In order to carry out the analysis of the images that is exposed, a previous investigation on the figure of the monarch and the historical context has been taken into consideration.[2], about Elizabeth of Valois herself[3] and his other marriages[4], as well as art in the XNUMXth century and its relationship with the manifestations of power.
The first surviving portraits of Isabel de Valois were made by the Clouet School at the request of Catherine de Médicis. Made of black stone, you can see a young princess dressed in the French style. She highlights the neckline of her dress in a straight line covered with a fine textile blouse. The open ruff and not as closed as it would be in Spain allows the use of earrings, unlike when she was the wife of Felipe II. In these portraits, the way she touches her hair with stones and jewels and the way she twists and curls her hair is also striking. Isabel’s hair that will be the same in all her portraits.[5]
Another color portrait of the same school is preserved. What stands out in this image is the fact that Isabel appears older than she really is. Once again, the jewels play an important role along with the clothing, since they convey the social position of the young woman and the importance and power of the Valois house. The portrait is not full-length, a trend that was confirmed in the portraits made in Spain. Coinciding with the dates, it is possible that it was made to be sent to Prince Don Carlos, as written sources attest, with the aim of a marriage agreement.
To correctly understand the meaning and importance of this type of portrait in the French court, it is necessary to remember Catherine de Médicis. The wife of the French King Henry II was a major promoter of the arts in France. In the portraits that she had made, she wanted to convey her qualities as a woman, in addition to ensuring social control with which to maintain the line of succession, showing the political and moral faculties that the premises of her time demanded. For all this she managed to erect one of the most important collections of the French Renaissance for her with her identity and that of her descendants. For this reason, she should not be surprised that from the beginning she had her eldest daughter make important portraits of her, showing her social status and her qualities as her future wife.
[ainserter name=”adpv”] The first portrait made in Spain of Isabel de Valois was on the occasion of her marriage to Felipe II, close in date to the treaty of Cateu Cambresis. According to written sources, she wore several dresses that day, and it may be that this was one of them.[6]This image was first made by Antonio Moro,[7] being copied later by his apprentice that of his apprentice the also important painter Alonso Sánchez Coello[8]. The portrait of Antonio Moro confirms the painter’s style in a three-quarter image on a black or neutral-colored background. Without going into a technical comparison of each one[9]Since this is not the objective of its analysis, the color of the suit and the absence of any object should be noted. The importance of religion in Spain is confirmed by the large cross it carries. In addition, she holds with one hand the glove that has been removed from the other and the handkerchief, symbols of the Austrian court portraits. Regarding the meaning of it, after the failure of the two previous marriages, with María Manuela he has the sickly Prince Don Carlos and with María Tudor he had no offspring, Felipe II who is still very young shows his subjects and Europe his new wife . The clothing that young Isabel wears is very important, as it denotes the interest in knowing that in addition to being the new queen of Spain, Isabel is a foreigner, wears French fashion, highlighting the color of the dress, and is the eldest daughter of the king of France Henry II. The marriage is the result of Spain’s victory over France. It’s like she’s some kind of trophy.
The second portrait of Isabel de Valois was commissioned from Alonso Sánchez Coello. The whole body, a trend that will continue from this moment on, includes a background on which the Tagus River can be seen through a window, which indicates that the kings are already in the Alcazar of Toledo. [10] The French-influenced dress has a more discreet color, wears more jewelry than in the previous one, and shares the symbology of the House of Austria of being portrayed with gloves and a scarf. In this portrait it is possible to verify the respect towards a period of adaptation of Isabel de Valois to the Spanish court, the painting offers a conciliatory message to France, since since it crossed the border the written sources confirm an adaptation to the Spanish clothing customs . It is important to maintain and ensure peace for the benefit of the political and religious interests of Spain. Lastly, and as in the previous portrait, Isabel is portrayed in such a way that, despite her youth, in neither of the two portraits had she yet turned fifteen, she must be seen as a woman capable of increasing the descendants of the House of Austria .
Juan Pantoja de la Cruz[11] Years after the death of Doña Isabel, he made a copy of a portrait of Sofonisba Anguissola while Prince Carlos was still alive and before the queen’s first pregnancy. The portrait is three-quarters, although the original must have been full-length like another surviving copy by Rubens. The first thing that is observed is a change of clothing, highlighting objects of great luxury. In this portrait Isabel wears a black velvet skirt, the color with which the monarchy of Felipe II was identified, with red ribbons.[12]. The young queen again wears numerous jewels. She highlights the fact of changing the gloves and the scarf for a sable head[13]. The French influence is observed in the sleeve and gorrillo, which denotes that despite the rigidity in the rules of protocol, Isabel was allowed certain licenses. As in the previous portraits of her, her youth is confirmed, although the bags under her eyes convey a more mature image, remember that Isabel’s true age complicated her intimate encounters with the king and delayed the first conception of it. This must be hidden with a strong, mature and healthy image. In addition, it is important to overcome Francophobia, the people to love, consider and respect her queen, so in this image Isabel already seems Spanish.
The only preserved portrait of Sofonisba Anguissola, famous for trying to capture the reality of the face, is of great importance due to the intimate relationship that existed between the two. The estimation of the date on which it was made allows us to confirm that the queen had already been pregnant before it, so the image of the mother of Felipe II’s children is added to the previous meanings, and possible heirs, since don Carlos is at this time in a very deteriorated state of health. It is a portrait of a Spanish queen, as if she were just another Austria. It is known from this image that it is located in a room with other portraits of family members, which confirms its recognition in this one. The queen wears the same as in the previous one, a black velvet skirt with pointed sleeves and tail. Her jewelry is again very important. She wears ruby and diamond buttons fastened with pearl studs, but in this portrait the jewelery is displayed differently. Although she no longer looks like a foreign queen, she wears a cameo[14] with a miniature painting of Felipe II, to remember his relationship with the king. The historical time coincides with the Bayonne Conference, so it is likely that it was carried out on the occasion of its participation, remember that the defense of religion that he made in it was recognized by the Golden Rose by the pope . The remains of the frame coincide with another portrait made of Felipe II, so they must have been a couple. This image shows the power, strength and values of the Spanish monarchy together with the good condition and health of the queen. Being possible that Isabel was waiting for her second pregnancy.
The study of the images of Isabel de Valois can conclude:
The importance of iconographic sources as complementary historical sources in any investigation. Being indisputable the importance of court court portrait in the sixteenth century due to the importance of collecting and the arts during it. The House of Austria and Felipe II wanted to relate their monarchy to certain hallmarks conveyed in their court portraits, in accordance with the Burgundian etiquette. Using the court image as a dynastic foundation and tool to show his power, always remembering that these portraits are explicit wishes of the monarch.
The royal female painting must always be related to the monarch and the royal space, transmitting the ideals of perfect morality. Despite this, the role of women as mere mother and wife must be overcome by confirming the image of the queen as “ideal to imitate” and recognizing her influence at court and in politics. Isabel de Valois managed to maintain peace between two nations that had been in conflict for years, transmitting with her image also beauty, virtue and health. She gained the trust of her subjects despite being young and French, because in Spain there was Francophobia for so many years of military confrontation and religious disputes with the neighboring country.
The images hide a very important part of the reality of these high-ranking women, they hide the responsibility that the queens had to get pregnant. In the portraits they appear young, beautiful, healthy and numerous jewelery dresses. It seems that these women married to a great king could have the world at their feet. Instead, they are doomed to pay for all of this with their lives. Of the four women that Felipe II had, three of them died as a direct or indirect consequence of his pregnancy.
Author: Pilar Toledo Latorre
Sketches of the Clouet school. Drawing by Elizabeth of Valois.
Around 1559.
Oil on table. Height 45 cm width 35.5 cm
Location: Musée Conde, Chantilly.
Recovered from the work of AMEZÚA Y MAYO, Agustín G., Isabel de Valois, Queen of Spain (1546–1568), biographical study, Madrid, General Directorate of Cultural Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1949.
Ritratto di Elisabeth di Valois, François Clouet.
Around 1559.
Oil on table. Height 36.2 cm width 25.1 cm
Location: Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio, USA. Gallery 16. Object number 1929.140.
Retrieved: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Fran%C3%A7ois_clouet%2C_ritratto_di_elisabetta_di_valois%2C_1560_ca.jpg [Accessed August 01, 2021].
Queen Elizabeth of Valois in a red dress. Antonio Moro.
Around 1560.
Oil on table. height 104cm width 84cm
Location: Várez Fisa private collection.
Queen Elizabeth of Valois in a red dress. Alonso Sanchez Coello.
Around 1560. Height 113cm width 94.5cm.
Location: Várez Fisa private collection.
Retrieved: https://www.museobilbao.com/exposiciones/retrato-de-isabel-de-valois-194 [Accessed August 01, 2021].
Isabel de Valois, Alonso Sanchez Coello.
Around 1560.
Location: Museum of Art History, Vienna. (Kunsthistorisches Museum).
Retrieved: https://www.tumgir.com/tag/isabel%20de%20valois [Accessed August 01, 2021].
Queen Elizabeth of Valois, third wife of Philip II. Juan Pantoja de la Cruz.
Catalog number: P001030
Around 1605.
Oil on canvas. Height 120 cm Width 84 cm.
Location: Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado.
Recovered: https://www.museodelprado.es/coleccion/obra-de-arte/la-reina-isabel-de-valois-tercera-esposa-de/4bf43b3b-a3cf-44ef-aaf8-928b4ca51e0b?searchMeta=isabel% 20valois [Accessed August 01, 2021].
Elizabeth of Valois holding a portrait of Philip II. Sofonisba Anguissola.
Elizabeth of Valois holding a portrait of Philip II. Sofonisba Anguissola.
Catalog number: P001031
Around 1561–1565.
Oil on canvas. Height 206 cm width 123 cm.
Location: Prado Museum in Madrid.
Recovered: https://www.museodelprado.es/coleccion/obra-de-arte/isabel-de-valois-susteniendo-un-retrato-de-felipe/6a414693-46ab-4617-b3e5-59e061fcc165?searchMeta=isabel% 20valois [Accessed August 01, 2021].
SOURCES/REFERENCES USED IN THE ARTICLE.
ADJOA Nathalie, «Europe and Africa: the historical images of symbolic women like Elizabeth of Valois», Hispano-American magazine of the history of ideas, [online], 37 (2017): 208–224. Consulted on August 01, 2021. URL: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=6329456
AMEZÚA Y MAYO, Agustín G, Isabel de Valois, Queen of Spain (1546–1568),
Biographical study, Madrid, General Directorate of Cultural Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1949.
BERMEJO, Elisa. Alonso Sánchez Coello and the portrait in the court of Felipe II, Madrid, Prado Museum, 1990.
COLOMER José L., DESCALZO, Amalia., Dressing the Spanish in the European courts
(XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries), Madrid, Center for Hispanic European Studies, 2014.
FERNÁNDEZ ÁLVAREZ, Manuel, Felipe II, Barcelona, Espasa, 2010.
KAMEN, Henry, Felipe of Spain, Madrid, Sum of Letters, 2001.
MARTÍNEZ LLAMAS, Antonio, Isabel de Valois, Madrid, Today’s Issues, 1996.
MARTÍNEZ LLAMAS, Antonio, Isabel de Valois, Madrid, Círculo de Lectores, 2001.
PARKER, Geoffrey, The Essential Biography of Philip II. The reckless king, Barcelona, Planet, 2015. PARKER, Geoffrey, Felipe II: the definitive biography, Barcelona, Planet, 2010.
PÉREZ Joseph, Understanding the history of Spain, Esfera, 2011. PÉREZ, Joseph, Felipe II: a monarch and his time. The Hispanic monarchy, Madrid, State Society for the Commemoration of the Centenaries of Felipe II and Carlos V, 1998. PÉREZ, Joseph, Historia de España, Barcelona, Crítica, 1999.
PÉREZ, Joseph, The Black Legend, Madrid, Gadir, 2009.
SEBASTIAN LOZANO, Jorge., Female images in sixteenth-century Spanish court art, Doctoral Thesis, University of Valencia (2005).
[1] SEBASTIAN, 2005:97–100.
[2] See: FERNÁNDEZ ÁLVAREZ, Manuel, Felipe II, Barcelona, Espasa, 2010.
KAMEN, Henry, Felipe of Spain, Madrid, Sum of Letters, 2001.
PARKER, Geoffrey, The Essential Biography of Philip II. The reckless king, Barcelona, Planet, 2015. PARKER, Geoffrey, Felipe II: the definitive biography, Barcelona, Planet, 2010.
PÉREZ Joseph, Understanding the history of Spain, Esfera, 2011. PÉREZ, Joseph, Felipe II: a monarch and his time. The Hispanic Monarchy, Madrid, State Society for the Commemoration of the Centenaries of Felipe II and Carlos V, 1998. PÉREZ, Joseph, History of Spain, Barcelona, Criticism, 1999. PÉREZ, Joseph, The Black Legend, Madrid, Gadir, 2009 .
[3]See: AMEZÚA Y MAYO, Agustín G, Isabel de Valois, queen of Spain (1546–1568),
Biographical study, Madrid, General Directorate of Cultural Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1949.
MARTÍNEZ LLAMAS, Antonio, Isabel de Valois, Madrid, Temas de hoy, 1996. MARTÍNEZ LLAMAS, Antonio, Isabel de Valois, Madrid, Círculo de Lectores, 2001.
[4] See: GONZALEZ-DORIA, Fernando. The queens of Spain, Madrid, Wheat, 1999.
NADAL, Santiago. The four wives of Felipe II, Barcelona, Mercedes Editions, 1944.
QUERALT DEL HIERRO, M. Pilar, The women of Philip II, EDAF, Madrid, 2001.
MAZCARELLE RIVERS, Manuel. Queens of Spain, House of Austria, Madrid, Alderabán Editions, 1998.
RUBIO, Maria J. Queens of Spain, Las Austrias XV-XVII centuries, Madrid, The sphere of books, 2010.
[5] COLOMER, 2014:7–10.
[6] BERMEJO, 1990:131.
[7] See: FENÁNDEZ, T., RUIZA, M., TAMARO, E., «Biography of Antonio Moro», La
online biographical encyclopedia [Online], (2004). Consulted on August 01, 2021. URL: https://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/m/moro.htm
[8] See: RUIZA, M., FERNÁNDEZ, T. and TAMARO, E. «Biography of Alonso Sánchez Coello», La online biographical encyclopedia [Online], (2004). Consulted on August 01, 2021. URL: https://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/s/sanchez_coello.htm
[9] See: PÉREZ D’ORS, Pablo. Masterpieces from the Prado Museum, Ponce Art Museum, Puerto Rico, Prado Museum, 2012
Recovered from: https://www.museodelprado.es/coleccion/artista/sanchez-coello-alonso/07db97aa-ad7c-434c-b5ef-6ee0df514974
[10] ADJOA, (2017).
[11] See: RAH (Royal Academy of History) KUSCHE, María, Juan Pantoja de la CruzMadrid,
Castalia, 1964. URL: https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/7964/juan-pantoja-de-la-cruz
[12] In another later portrait of Anne of Austria, she will also wear them, but in white, which suggests that they are a fashion accessory.
[13] See: PÉREZ DE TUDELA, Almudena, «Attributed to Juan Pantoja de la Cruz according to Sofonisba Anguissola. Queen Elizabeth of Valois, third wife of Philip II» Tale of two painters: Sofonisba Anguissola and Lavinia Fontana, Prado National Museum, 25, (2019):143–145. Consulted on August 01, 2021.
[14] See: TORRE FAZIO, Julia de la, The Spanish miniature portrait under the reigns of Felipe II and Felipe III. Doctoral Thesis. Malaga University. (2009).
