Queen Mariana of Spain in Mourning

Artist: Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo (Spanish, died 1667)

Original Dimensions: 77 1/2" x 57 1/2"

Location: National Gallery of Art, London

About Artwork: (1666) "Seated in a palatial interior, Queen Mariana of Spain is in mourning – she wears a white wimple and the black habit of widow’s weeds. This portrait – one of Mazo’s finest works – was painted the year after the death of her husband Philip IV, King of Spain. Their son and heir, Charles, was too young to take to the throne, leaving Mariana to rule as regent. She sits on a throne-like chair in the Alcázar, the royal palace in Madrid, which was destroyed by fire in 1734. Although represented as a wife and mother, Mariana holds a petition in her right hand, alluding to her official duties, on which are inscribed Mazo’s signature and the date 1666. A young Charles appears in the background, accompanied by servants. Beyond him stands the gilded ‘toy’ carriage he used to move around the royal palace. Charles was a fragile child, and his death in 1700, without an heir, marked the end of Habsburg rule in Spain." - (National Gallery of Art, London)