1653, Diego Velázquez, Queen Mariana of Austria -- Norton Simon Museum (Pasadena) (special exhibition)
From the museum label: Queen Mariana of Austria was the first official portrait of the queen consort of Spain by famed painter Diego Velázquez. Produced shortly after the birth of Mariana's first child with King Philip IV, the work exemplifies Velázquez's astute yet energetic approach to characterizing the monarch's new wife. Mariana was just 17 years old when she posed for this painting, but she had already developed a courtly personality, described at the time as deeply pious yet fun-loving. These qualities are legible here in her sober expression and splendid costume: a beribboned wig and colossal feathered headpiece paired with a silver-trimmed dress, worn over the rigid support structure known in Spain as a guardainfante—so-called because its dramatically wide hips could skillfully mask pregnancy. Her costume suggests a playful rebuff to her husband, the king, who once banned the garment for its erotic exaggeration of the female silhouette. Thanks to the success of portraits like this one, which circulated widely in the form of copies, the look became Mariana's signature style, introducing her to the public as the new face of Spain's monarchy.
1653, Diego Velázquez, Queen Mariana of Austria -- Norton Simon Museum (Pasadena) (special exhibition)
From the museum label: Queen Mariana of Austria was the first official portrait of the queen consort of Spain by famed painter Diego Velázquez. Produced shortly after the birth of Mariana's first child with King Philip IV, the work exemplifies Velázquez's astute yet energetic approach to characterizing the monarch's new wife. Mariana was just 17 years old when she posed for this painting, but she had already developed a courtly personality, described at the time as deeply pious yet fun-loving. These qualities are legible here in her sober expression and splendid costume: a beribboned wig and colossal feathered headpiece paired with a silver-trimmed dress, worn over the rigid support structure known in Spain as a guardainfante—so-called because its dramatically wide hips could skillfully mask pregnancy. Her costume suggests a playful rebuff to her husband, the king, who once banned the garment for its erotic exaggeration of the female silhouette. Thanks to the success of portraits like this one, which circulated widely in the form of copies, the look became Mariana's signature style, introducing her to the public as the new face of Spain's monarchy.