The Hispanic Monarchy turned Visigothic royalty into a symbol of power (IMAGE)
Caption
History, art and collective memory come together in the project led by Víctor Mínguez, Professor of the Department of History, Geography and Art at the Universitat Jaume I in Castelló, which explores the artistic reception of Visigothic royalty between the 16th and 19th centuries. The research, funded by the 2021 National Plan for Scientific Research, aims to understand how the figures of Visigothic kings and queens were reinterpreted and used as political and cultural symbols by the Hispanic Monarchy.
The project, titled La recepción artística de la realeza visigoda en la Monarquía Hispánica (siglos XVI a XIX), establishes a theoretical framework that spans from the appreciation and preservation of Visigothic archaeological remains to their transformation into propaganda icons. It examines how figures such as Hermenegild, Leovigild or Reccared were revived by monarchs like Philip II or Philip IV to legitimize dynastic power and project an image of peninsular unity.
In addition, the team has catalogued and studied key artworks such as The Apotheosis of Saint Hermenegild by Francisco Herrera the Elder and The Triumph of Saint Hermenegild by Francisco Herrera the Younger, as well as numerous engravings and portraits of Visigothic monarchs commissioned over the centuries. The research has also helped contextualize visual strategies that link Gothic lineage with the House of Austria and the Bourbon dynasty, from the portraits commissioned by Philip IV to the sculptures in the New Royal Palace promoted by Ferdinand VI.
Credit
Universitat Jaume I of Castellón (Spain)
Usage Restrictions
Credit must be given to the creator. Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted. Adaptations must be shared under the same terms.
License
CC BY-NC-SA