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The Jou ney o Cosimo III de' Medici and Spanish Pain ings in Flo ence
Miguel Taín Guzmán1
In 1668-1669, he wen y-six yea old Cosimo III de’ Medici, P ince o Tuscany, son o he G and
Duke Fe dinando II de’Medici, made a long ip h ough Eu ope, including Spain, Po ugal, England, Holland
and F ance, be ween 1668 and 1669 ( ig.1).2 The places he and his en ou age isi ed, which we e impo an o
cul u al, eligious, economic o poli ical easons, we e ca e ully selec ed in o de o p epa e he P ince o
becoming he nex G and Duke o Flo ence. In ac , he ook o e his posi ion some mon hs la e . The isi o
Spain in ol ed one o he longes jou neys ( ig. 2).3 Lea ing Li o no, he eached he Spanish coas s opping o
a ew hou s in Cadaqués, Roses, and Palamós, on he coas o Ca alonia. Finally, he deba ked in Ba celona on
29 Sep embe 1668. F om his ci y, he began his o e land ip, in a ca iage b ough om Flo ence, isi ing
owns and ci ies such as Ma o ell, Mon se a , Igualada, Lleida, Za agoza, Da oca, Guadalaja a, and Alcalá de
Hena es, be o e inally a i ing in Mad id, whe e he s ayed be ween 24 Oc obe and 25 No embe . F om he e
he wen sou h o owns and ci ies such as Toledo, Mo a, Consueg a, Villanue a de los In an es, Andúja , El
Ca pio, Có doba, Cas o del Río, G anada, Écija, Ca mona, and Se ille. F om he e he a elled o Za a,
Badajoz, and Po ugal, whe e he s opped in Lisbon. He hen con inued his jou ney owa ds Galicia, en e ing
Spain a Tui and s opping in Redondela, Pon e ed a, Pad ón, and San iago de Compos ela. In his las ci y, he
isi ed he sanc ua y o he Apos le Sain James. His s ay in Spain las ed a o al o one hund ed and wen y-six
days, including he day o a i al o Cadaqués and he day o depa u e om Co uña, whe e on Ma ch he 19 he
emba ked o England, ha ing spen enough ime in Spain o gain a p ope unde s anding o he coun y’s
cul u e.
As a p ince, he a elled wi h an en ou age comp ised o wen y-se en people including nobles,
se an s and a F ench cook. Some o he a ele s kep accoun s o he jou ney. Lo enzo Magalo i was one o
he nobles, who had an impo an ole as a diploma , w i e and scien is , and was esponsible o w i ing he
o icial dia y o he ip Relazione U iciale del Viaggio di Cosimo III de’ Medici and desc ibing he places hey
isi ed, he local monumen s and cus oms, ce emonies and eligious li e, ecep ions and ood.4 The young a is
Pie Ma ia Baldi, also a membe o he e inue, was cha ged wi h d awing iews o he ci ies, illages, and inns
hey isi ed, and which se e as illus a ions o he Relazione. Thanks o his wo k, we now ha e he mos
comple e g aphic es imony o Spanish loca ions in he se en een h cen u y, as he d ew a o al o eigh y-six
iews o he coun y.5 A second in e es ing dia y is he Memo ie del iaggio by Filippo Co sini, Cosimo’s
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cupbea e on he jou ney (scalco), was he sou ce om which Magalo i copied a la ge amoun o in o ma ion.6
The accoun s by Gio an Ba is a Go nia, doc o o he e inue,7 and Jacopo Ciu i, he adminis a o o p o isions
(spendi o e),8 a e much mo e anecdo al and spon aneous as ega ds he de ails o he isi s. In con as , he dia y
by he chaplain Felice Monsacchi is he mos succinc .9 Finally, he expenses and ips de ailed in he accoun s
book o he jou ney by Filippo Ma che i (maes o di casa) p o ide in o ma ion abou he people he P ince me
on his isi , and he objec s he acqui ed.10
These i e dia ies, oge he wi h he le e s w i en by membe s o he en ou age, he eco ds o
expendi u es, and o he documen s, in o m us ha du ing he ip Cosimo acqui ed examples o Spanish cul u e
and a is ic de elopmen s in he o m o pain ings, d awings, glass, sil e wa e, lea he , i ems om he Ame icas,
weapons, de o ional objec s, and books. These i ems e lec ed he P ince’s in e es s, cu iosi y, and conce ns.
This s udy ocuses on a se ies o Spanish pain ings which a e associa ed in one way o ano he wi h he jou ney
and which a e now p ese ed in he ci y o Flo ence.11
TWO ROYAL PORTRAITS IN THE GALLERIA PALATINA
Be o e becoming G and Duke, Cosimo does no seem o ha e had any g ea in e es in acqui ing
pain ings and d awings o his amily’s collec ions. A clue o unde s anding his neglec is ound in his le e o
his uncle, Ca dinal Leopoldo de’ Medici, on 15 No embe 1668,12 in which he ga e his opinions on he
pain ings in he Esco ial Monas e y, which he had seen he p e ious day,13 and in he dia ies o he jou ney
whe e hei au ho s desc ibe he ich collec ions o pain ings o he Buen Re i o Palace seen on 2 No embe , he
Royal Alcáza Palace seen on 11 No embe , he Esco ial seen on 14 No embe , and he A anjuez Palace isi ed
on 26 No embe . These ou oyal si es we e known in Eu ope o hei collec ions o hund eds o pain ings
om Spain and di e en na ionali ies and dese ed posi i e alua ions in he accoun s o he Cosimo’s jou ney.
Go nia, o example, s a es ha he au ho s o he pain ings displayed in he sac is y o he Esco ial a e “ he
mos amous pain e s o he plane ”.14 Signi ican ly, his le e and hese accoun s mainly men ion a wo ks
a ibu ed o I alian a is s such as Raphael, Ti ian, Tin o e o, Ve onese, Co eggio, And ea del Sa o, Jacopo
Bassano, Annibale Ca acci, Guido Reni, Ca a aggio. In he case o he Royal Monas e y, Cosimo s a es ha
“ he e is a g ea numbe o beau i ul pain ings in El Esco ial, mos o which a e his o y pain ings” and, quo ing
Ma ial, ha “ hey a e good, some a e medioc e, and he e a e many mo e ha a e bad”.15 This means ha he
P ince and his e inue do no seem o ha e been in e es ed in Spanish pain ings, p obably due o a lack o
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knowledge, which may explain he lack o acquisi ions o good local pain ings, o example by Diego
Velázquez, he amous oyal pain e who had ecen ly died in 1660. In ac , he only Spanish a is men ioned is
José de Ribe a, called Lo Spagnole o by Co sini and Monsacchi, bu p obably because he was so well known in
I aly h ough his wo kshop in Naples.16 Co sini also ci es he can ases in he al a s o he chu ch o El Esco ial
by El G eco, Luca Cambiaso, and Fede ico Zucca o, all o whom we e o eigne s bu who we e based in Spain.
Cambiaso and Zucca o we e I alians, and he la e was known o ha ing ea lie wo ked o Cosimo I in
Flo ence.17
S ill, he accoun s do con ain e e ences o some Spanish pain ings, al hough hey a e men ioned
because o hei subjec ma e , wi hou commen ing on aes he ic quali ies o p o iding de ails o au ho ship.
Fo example, when Co sini and Go nia desc ibe he pain ings depic ing he ba les won by Felipe IV in he “Hall
o he Kingdoms” o he Buen Re i o Palace, hey men ion he subjec ma e bu no hei Spanish o o eign
au ho s.18 Magalo i does no e ha se e al ooms in he palace a e deco a ed wi h pain ings “by he mos amous
pain e s o Spain”, including hose in he Hall o he Kingdoms, celeb a ing he iumph in Ge many o he Duke
o Fe ia, Gómez Suá ez de Figue oa, in 1633.19 Once again he subjec ma e is he eason why Magalo i,
Co sini, and Go nia emphasize he se ies o po ai s o he kings o As u ias, León, and Cas ile, displayed
be ween he wo ooms o he “Gilded Hall” in he Real Alcáza palace.20 Al hough pain ed by di e en a is s,
mainly Spanish a is s, Co sini and Go nia s a e ha hey we e c ea ed by only one “ amous” pain e , who was
“qui e es eemed in Spain”.21 The only excep ion is he uniden i ied “The S eng hs o He cules”. We don’ know
i his is one o a se ies o pain ings, singled ou by Go nia because o quali y, a ibu ed o a “ amous” Spanish
pain e whose name he does no men ion, displayed on he walls o he Real Alcáza .22 I do no hink he is
e e ing o he eigh pain ings om he se ies i led “The Labo s o He cules” by Rubens displayed in he
Oc agonal Room, bu i could be a e e ence o a eplica by Juan Bau is a Ma ínez del Mazo, Velázquez’s son-
in-law, displayed in he P ince’s Room.23 Howe e , I wonde i Go nia made a mis ake and is, ins ead, e e ing
o F ancisco de Zu ba án’s se ies o “The Labo s o He cules” which deco a ed he Hall o he Kingdoms o he
Buen Re i o Palace, which he had seen some days ea lie .24 The p esence o he G eek he o in hese chambe s
and he ci a ion in he accoun o he jou ney a e jus i ied since He cules was conside ed an ances o o kings o
Spain and because o he associa ion o he semi-god and he King Felipe IV wi h he sun, which is he emblem
o he i ue o a good leade .
This comple e lack o knowledge on he pa o he P ince and his en ou age wi h ega d o Spanish
pain ing may explain hei disin e es in pu chasing ine wo ks o he Medici collec ions du ing hei jou ney
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ac oss he coun y. Cosimo’s ad ise s on a is ic ma e s in he e inue, he cou ie Paolo Falconie i and Baldi,
did no ha e any aining in Spanish a .25 I he e o e comes as no su p ise ha he e is only one documen ed
acquisi ion in Spain, and i was clea ly ob ained because i s subjec ma e . This was he oil pain ing o he
Queen-Regen Ma iana de Aus ia, which Cosimo acqui ed while he was isi ing he Palace o A anjuez on 26
No embe ( ig. 3). The Gua da oba ga e him he pain ing,26 p esumably wi h he Queen’s pe mission, a he
exp ess eques o he P ince. This in o ma ion is no ed in Ma che i’s book o accoun s, as Cosimo ga e a ip o
15 scudi o he pe son who b ough him he gi : “and on ha day [26 No embe ], 15 scudi mo e han he o he s,
o he Gua da oba o his palace, who ga e he po ai o he Queen”.27 This pain ing is cu en ly kep in he
s o e oom o he Galle ia Pala ina in he Pi i Palace (in . 5203; measu emen s: 76 x 58 cm). The Queen is well
cha ac e ized in he po ai , which is by an anonymous a is . I is clea ly based on he wo k o he new o icial
po ai o Ma iana as he widow o King Felipe IV and u o o he new child King Ca los II, bes exempli ied
by he amous po ai o he Queen (1666, Na ional Galle y, London) which was he new o icial po ai
c ea ed by Juan Bau is a Ma ínez del Mazo, he King’s chambe pain e un il 1667.28 This model was epea ed
by Sebas ián de He e a Ba nue o, he King’s new chambe pain e , be ween 1667 and 1671, as seen in he
double po ai o he Queen wi h he son ha is a ibu ed o him, now in a p i a e collec ion in Mad id.29
The e o e, in he po ai om A anjuez, like hose by Ma ínez de Mazo and He e a Ba nue o, he queen is
depic ed as a young woman, wi h a cold, dis an ai , d essed in mou ning, and in a nun’s whi e habi and long
black eil in he s yle o he ime. The can as only shows he om he wais up, on a da k monoch ome
backg ound, which a oids ha ing o ep esen a pa icula pala ial se ing. Howe e , he po ai was o iginally
la ge and wide and has been immed by he ab up c opping o he slee es and he hands. She also seems o
be sea ed on a chai , as in he o he po ai s, due o he posi ion o he a ms. I his we e he case, he chai
would be a e e ence o he go e nance o he Queen, who only used i o audiences and ce emonies, as he
gene al cus om in he cou was o he Queen and he ladies-in-wai ing o si on cushions on a pla o m on he
loo .30 On he o he hand, he neu al backg ound is e y deg aded, and possibly e ouched.
The e e se o he pain ing shows in en o y numbe s co esponding o he Medici in en o ies. The e
a e h ee numbe s ha his pain ing sha es wi h an oil po ai o Ca los II as a child (Galle ia Pala ina, Flo ence,
in . 5145; measu emen s: 76.5 x 58.5 cm) ( ig. 4): appa en ly he oldes numbe is 496 (in black and c ossed
ou ); he ollowing one would be 670 (in black and c ossed ou ), and he inal one would ha e been 7902 (in
black).31 This is uncommon in he Medici collec ions, and could be explained i bo h pain ings we e hung
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oge he . Mo eo e , his would be he eason why he Queen’s po ai was c opped: i was o iginally la ge han
he King’s po ai , om which his le hand, pa o his ha and clo hes also seems ha e been immed.
Upon his a i al in Flo ence, he P ince p esumably ga e he pain ing om A anjuez o his uncle
Leopoldo, a collec o o po ai s o he membe s o Eu opean oyal amilies. The King’s po ai would also
ha e been des ined o he ca dinal’s collec ion. Thus explaining why hey appea oge he in he in en o y o
Leopoldo’s pain ings in he S anza G ande o he Gua da oba o Pi i Palace. Comple ed be ween 1675 and
1676 a e his dea h, his in en o y desc ibes he inhe i ance le o his nephew: “a pain ing on can as, wi h a
heigh o 1 ¼ b accia, a wid h o 1 b accia, upon which is pain ed he po ai o he eigning King o Spain, in
an o dina y manne ” and “a pain ing on can as, simila o he p e ious, upon which is pain ed a po ai o he
Queen Mo he o Spain, d essed as a nun, wi h a whi e habi and black eil”.32 The wo pain ings a e ma ked in
his in en o y wi h he ini ials ‘PR’, indica ing ha hey we e ans e ed o he Medicea Villa o P a olino. In
ac , hey we e gi en o Leopoldo Melli,33 he keepe o he Gua da oba o he illa, on 2 Augus 1680, and
hey we e s ill lis ed he e in an in en o y om 1748.34 In he nine een h cen u y hey we e ans e ed o he
Galle ia degli U izi, a e which hey we e sepa a ed and gi en di e en e e ence numbe s: he pain ing o he
Queen is shown as numbe 1641 in he 1881 in en o y, and hen wi h i s p esen numbe in he in en o y om
1890, a e which i was hung in he Magazzino Lambe esca, co ido C, i s wall. In u n, he po ai o he
King is shown as numbe 816 in he in en o y om 1881, and hen wi h i s p esen numbe in he 1890
in en o y, a e which i was hung in he Magazzino Lambe esca, oom B, i s wall. The po ai o Ma iana de
Aus ia has been s o ed in he Magazzino Occhi o he Pi i Palace since 1972.
Ca los II is a ound se en yea s o age in he po ai , which is he ime when Cosimo isi ed Mad id: in
ac , he dia ies desc ibe how he P ince isi ed he Real Alcáza because o he oyal bi hday on 6 No embe .
Acco ding o Rod íguez de Ceballos, he King is shown wea ing ed ouse s and a chambe ga, a long, ample
coa (casaca),35 he uni o m o his new pe sonal bodygua d c ea ed in 1669 o p o ec him om he h ea o his
s epb o he Juan de Aus ia he Younge , acco ding o a ecen s udy by Ál a ez-Osso io Al a iño.36 I bo h o
hese ac s a e co ec , as hey would seem o be, i would mean ha he po ai o Ca los II could no ha e been
acqui ed by he P ince du ing his s ay in Mad id, bu ins ead would ha e been commissioned by him be o e
lea ing he cou . Indeed, i would ha e been unexpec ed o him o ob ain only he po ai o he Regen o he
collec ion o Eu opean Royal Po ai s on display in he illas and palaces o he Medici. In ac , he English
ambassado , Edwa d Mon agu, ecei ed he po ai s o bo h he egen and Ca los II as a gi some mon hs
la e .37
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He e a Ba nue o was esponsible o he idea o po aying he King wea ing a chambe ga in 1669, as
can be seen in he pain ing om he Leopoldo Gil Nebo collec ion in Ba celona, o in he p e iously-men ioned
double po ai o he Queen wi h he son om a p i a e collec ion om Mad id, bo h da ed a ound his yea ,
which was hen copied in se e al e sions by anonymous au ho s, one o which is he po ai om he Galle ia
Pala ina.38 In i , he ace o he King is ende and innocen , and wi h his unique physiognomy, al hough his has
been idealized. He is shown s anding, looking owa ds he iewe , e ealing his long, cu ly hai , a de ail ha
cha ac e izes his po ai s o his pe iod. He holds he ba on (bengala) in his igh hand, he ha o he uni o m
(chambe go) in his le , and has a swo d a his wais , only he g ip o which can be seen, indica ing ha he is he
highes au ho i y o he new gua d. The golden oisón, an a ibu e o he House o Aus ia, hangs a ound his
neck. All in all, he pain ing p esen s a heal hy, idealized image o a heal y child, in o de o dispel any doub s
abou his well-known weak physical and men al cons i u ion.
This i s acquisi ion was ollowed by o he po ai s o Ca los II. Fo example, he in en o ies o
Cosimo’s wa d obe om 1689 and 1690 include he Spanish King’s po ai as a young man (“da gio ane”)
d essed in black (“ es i o di ne o”).39 In ano he om he wa d obe o Vi o ia della Ro e e in he illa o
Poggio Impe iale, he e is one ha o ms a pa o a se ies o he uling houses o Eu ope, whe e he is shown in
a mo , wi h a c imson sash wi h laces (“a ma o, con ciá pa e galano ponsò alla pezzuola di ina”);40 and
inally, he 1791 in en o y o he Pi i Palace men ions ano he , o al po ai , in which he is shown s ill as a
child (“da anciullo”).41 Today only wo a e in he Galle ia degli U izi: one is in he se ies o Illus ious Men42
(Ic106),43 and he o he is in he se ies o “Dou en O ali” on he amily o Johann Wilhelm Ku ü s on de
P alz, Elec o Pala ine and he husband o Anna Ma ia Luisa de’Medici, Cosimo’s daugh e (Ic791).44
THE ʻVIRGIN OF THE KINGSʼ IN THE CATHEDRAL OF SEVILLE
F om a e y young age, Cosimo spen long pe iods in he company o ia s, wen o mass once o
wice a day, diligen ly eci ed p aye s o he Vi gin Ma y, ecei ed communion on Sundays and eas days, and
ead all ypes o de o ional books,45 all o which was qui e no mal beha io o an hei educa ed in he spi i o
he Coun e -Re o ma ion.46 He a ended mass e e y day in local chu ches du ing his jou ney ac oss Spain no
ma e whe e he was, as we know om he accoun s by Magalo i, Co sini, and Go nia. When i was no
possible, o example in dese egions o Andalusia, his chaplain Monsacchi celeb a ed mass in he ooms o his
accommoda ion, some hing ha is also indica ed in he dia ies. The P ince’s pa icula ly pious na u e explains
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why he pu chased hund eds o de o ional objec s om he Spanish he mi ages, chu ches, ca hed als,
monas e ies, and sanc ua ies he isi ed. The in en o y o his wa d obe om 1690 men ions many medals, small
eligious images, c osses, and o he de o ional a icles which we e p obably acqui ed du ing he jou ney and
which we e in ended o be gi s o ela i es, ia s and iends.47 They include a numbe o clo h ibbons
(medidas), sil e c osses and medals o he Vi gin o Monse a , whose sanc ua y he isi ed on 6 and 7 Oc obe
1668; a numbe o clo h ibbons, a golden small s a ue o a osa y, and wo small golden s a ues o he Vi gin
o El Pila in Za agoza, whose image he isi ed on 14 Oc obe ; he sil e medals o he eliqua y o he
Co po al o Da oca, which he saw on 18 Oc obe ; se e al clo h ibbons and one sil e po apaz o he Vi gin o
A ocha, whose emple he isi ed on 28 Oc obe and on 2, 10, 17, and 21 No embe ; and he sil e medals o
he Apos le Sain James o Galicia, be o e whose al a he p ayed on 4 and 6 Ma ch 1669. All hese objec s ela e
o images and elics o which he P ince el a special de o ion, and whose p esen a ions in hei espec i e
chu ches, ichly deco a ed wi h obes, sil e wo k, pea ls, and p ecious s ones a e desc ibed in he accoun s o
Magalo i, Co sini, Go nia, Ciu i, and Monsacchi. Al hough a la ge numbe o i ems a e included in he
in en o y o 1690, hey would be only hose no gi en o ela i es and membe s o he cou up un il his da e.
Un o una ely, i seems ha no e en one o hese objec s has su i ed o he p esen day, o a leas I ha e no
been able o ack hem down. The absence o such Spanish commemo a i e medals in he ex ensi e collec ion
o he Museo Nazionale del Ba gello may be due o he ac ha hey we e mel ed down, oge he wi h many
o he s, by he i s dukes o Lo ena, who had economic di icul ies.48
Cosimo also pu chased a numbe o i ems made o je s one om Compos ela (such as small boxes,
shells, ado nmen s, small c uci ixes), which we e kep oge he in he Gua da oba in 1690. They a e he ypical
de o ional objec s ha pilg ims would buy, and his may also be he o igin o a s a ue e o a Sain James as a
Pilg im, wea ing a cape, a wide-b immed ha ado ned wi h a shell, a s a , a bag and a gou d, wi h wo dono s
kneeling down in an a i ude o p aye , which is now in he Collezione Medicea di Pie e La o a e in he Museo
di S o ia Na u ale di Fi enze (in . 13704). This in en o y also e e s o dozens o c osses o Ca a aca. They
could ha e o igina ed om his ip, al hough he ne e isi ed he Mu ciano sanc ua y, o om a gi o a
Spanish ia a he cou in Flo ence. Cosimo’s in e es in he c oss is also demons a ed by a copy ha c owns
he chu ch o he con en o he F anciscan o de o San Ped o de Alcán a a, which he ounded a his Villa
Amb ogiana in 1678 and which he insis ed should only be occupied by Spanish ia s, whose masses he liked o
a end.49 He mus ha e been e y imp essed wi h his newly e o med o de when he disco e ed i du ing his
isi o he con en o San Gil El Real in Mad id on 17 No embe 1668.
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Cosimo’s de o ion o he Vi gin Ma y om an ea ly age, con i med by his biog aphe Sand ini,
explains his isi s o Ma ian chu ches in Spain and he a ie y o Ma ian objec s acqui ed du ing he jou ney.50
This pie y o Spanish de o ional images o he Vi gin con inued a e he e u ned o Flo ence as is shown by
his p esen a ion o a sil e lamp made by he Flo en ine sil e smi h A igo B unich o he Vi gin o Mon se a
in 1671.51 Ano he example is he anonymous Andalusian oil pain ing on can as o he image o he Vi gin o
he Kings displayed in he Royal Chapel o he Ca hed al o Se ille (Vi gen de los Reyes), displayed in one o
he chapels in he Pi i Palace acco ding o an in en o y o 1761 ( ig. 5). Cosimo had a pa icula ega d o his
Vi gin when he isi ed he chapel on 28 Decembe 1668, an e en epo ed in he accoun s o he jou ney.
Acco ding o hem, he P ince was a ac ed o he oyal na u e o he building, i s pan heon o mona chs, and
he ac ha i se ed as a eliqua y, con aining he emains o he holy King S . Fe nando. Co sini e e s o he
Ma ian sculp u e as “…a mi aculous Vi gin. I is said ha she appea ed o King Fe nando jus a ew days be o e
he Moo s we e d i en ou o Se ille”,52 e e ing o he local adi ion o he mi aculous appea ance o he
Vi gin Ma y be o e Fe nando III and he conques o Se ille.53 Magalo i o e s mo e de ails, s a ing: “ he e is a
chapel, which su ounds he a ea behind he high al a o he ca hed al, whe e a no able imagine o he Vi gin is
e e ed, which appea ed o King Fe nando he Holy a e he inal de ea o he moo s o Se ille acco ding o
he adi ion; whose unco up ed body, wi h ha o he queen, his conso , a e in a g ea u n co e ed wi h a ed
clo h wi h di e en c owns abo e simila pillows and be o e he al a . This whole chapel is buil o s one bu o
mode n a chi ec u e wi h g ea o namen s o bas- elie s”.54
The in en o y o 1761 desc ibed his pain ing as “a simila pain ing [ o he p e ious one men ioned in
he egis e ], 1 b accia high, ¾ b acchia wide, upon which is pain ed he Holy Vi gin wi h he Ch is Child in
he a ms, bo h wi h c owns on hei heads, and benea h a abe nacle lanked wi h candelab a, and se e al
che ubs o he sides and abo e; and in on he e is an al a wi h ou candles icks and wo sain s o he sides, in
he niches; and abo e his abe nacle is he E e nal Fa he amongs he clouds and su ounded by se e al
che ubs, wi h he wo ld in his hands, wi h he insc ip ion below s a ing “concei ed wi hou sin”; all o he abo e
is be ween wo columns wi h golden ado nmen s, and an a ch abo e, and wo ases wi h se e al lowe s o he
sides; wi h an undeco a ed ame, wi h a abesques ca ed in he co ne s, and all co e ed in gil ; egis e ed as
numbe 11862”.55 The can as now measu es 60 x 47 cm, and I was able o s udy i in 2013 in he o ices o he
U icio di Rice che de la Sop in endenza pe I Beni A is ici e S o ici in Flo ence (in . 1890, n. 2210).56 The
pain ing depic s a ai ly accu a e ep esen a ion o he al a piece con aining he image o he Vi gin o he
Kings, an objec o g ea de o ion amongs he local popula ion. The al a piece made o he image by he
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sculp o Luis O iz de Va gas be ween 1644 and 1647 is shown inse ed in a niche and amed by wo columns
wi h gil g o esques ha mimic he a chi ec u e o he chapel.57 In he cen al sec ion, benea h a sil e canopy, is
he wooden Go hic image o he Vi gin, sea ed, a icula ed and d essed, wi h he Ch is Child sea ed in he lap.
He is also d essed, a icula ed and wea ing a c own. The base, suppo ed by che ubim, includes a medallion wi h
he bus o Sain Joseph and he Ch is Child. To he le and igh he e a e wo niches wi h he images o Sain
Joachim and Sain Anne, opped by medallions showing he e igies o Sain Jus a and Sain Ru ina, he pa on
sain s o Se ille. Finally, pai s o angels and symbols o he li anies a e dis ibu ed along he sides o he
al a piece. The pain ing in Flo ence has some alue as a documen , as i shows he appea ance o he al a in he
second hal o he se en een h cen u y o ea ly pa o he eigh een h cen u y, when i was p obably c ea ed. I is
also o in e es as i con ains in o ma ion abou one o he many la ish ga men s used o he image58 and he
wedding c own o Bea ice o Swabia, p obably dona ed by King Fe nando III in he 13 h cen u y due o his
de o ion o his Vi gin. This c own was un o una ely s olen in 1873 and is now only known om a pho og aph
by Jean Lau en om 1872. Howe e , he au ho ook a g ea deal o license in ep esen ing his jewel, mainly
e oking i s shape and p ecious s ones, i s mos eye-ca ching aspec s.59
This same opic is depic ed in a leas wo eng a ings60 and nume ous pain ings,61 p oo o he
popula i y o he sculp u e and how ex ensi ely i was wo shipped: one o hem was pain ed by Es ebán
Má quez de Velasco o King Ca los II in 1691.62 Some o hem a e e y simila o he pain ing in Flo ence,
such as he anonymous oil pain ing in he Museo de Bellas A es o Se ille (in . CE0812P) o he pain ing by
F ancisco Meneses Oso io, om 1696, in he Museo Nacional de Escul u a o Valladolid (in . CE0914). The
image was concealed du ing ce ain ypes o celeb a ions, using wooden doo s. This may explain he p esence
o he cu ains ha a e pulled back in he pain ing in Flo ence, al hough i seems mo e likely ha he d apes
we e an a is ic in en ion, oge he wi h he ases o lowe s, o c ea e a di ine ompe l’oeil. I am e e ing o a
ype o eligious depic ion ha shows images o de o ion ˗ gene ally sculp u es ˗ in he way hey a e
wo shipped on hei al a s, accompanied by he u ni u e in which hey a e exhibi ed, hei a ibu es and
accesso ies63. The pain ing includes o he eely-in e p e ed elemen s, such as he me al canopy, simula ing a
Ba oque piece, when i is ac ually Go hic and deco a ed wi h cas les and lions.64 Also, he pain ing o he a ic,
showing God he Fa he in Glo y, seems o ha e ne e ac ually exis ed. Fu he i is no possible o ecognize
he an ependium depic ed on he al a . Like he pain ing om Valladolid, he Flo en ine can as bea s he
insc ip ion “CONCEBIDA SIN PECADO” (“CONCEIVED WITHOUT SIN”) on he canopy o a second,
smalle ed cu ain wi h lace immings, which is ga he ed behind he columns.
