On-line gallery
- Reference number
- P01180
- Author
- Velázquez, Diego Rodríguez de Silva y (Spanish)
- Title
- Prince Baltasar Carlos on Horseback
- Chronology
- 1635-1636
- Technique
- Support
- Measures
- 209 cm x 173 cm
- School
- Theme
- Shown
- Yes
- Entrance
- COLECCION REAL
- Procedence
- Royal Collection
An equestrian portrait of Prince
Baltasar Carlos (1629-1646), son of
Felipe IV (1605-1665) and Isabel de
Bourbon (1603-1644), bearing the
staff of command and wearing a
general's sash. The mountains of
Madrid are visible in the
background. He was the King's first
male son and his early death left
Spain without a male heir until the
birth of the future Carlos II
(1661-1700).
This work was painted for the Hall
of Kingdoms at Madrid's Buen Retiro
Palace, where it was hung over a
door between the equestrian
portraits of the Prince's parents,
in keeping with the idea of
dynastic continuity that the
iconographic program sought to
reflect. The fact that the painting
was intended to hang at such a
height explains its strange
perspective, especially the
anatomic composition of the horse,
as it was intended to be seen from
below.
The very fresh and loose technique
is especially impressive in the
boy's face, making this one of
Velasquez's best portraits.
Location on the map
