THE PRESENCE OF THE IMPERIAL PAST: VAN DYCK’S EQUESTRIAN PORTRAIT OF CHARLES V OF SPAIN AND THE CRISIS OF VALTELLINA (1621-1622)

Abstract

The representations of Charles V (1500-1558) made during his lifetime have been more thoroughly studied than those made after his death, perhaps because the imperial character of posthumous representations is less evident. Nonetheless, some of these representations could still convey such a character to respond to a political necessity. At the time of the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), this was the case of Antoon Van Dyck’s Charles V on Horseback. This article sheds new light on the origins, the commissioning and the date of execution of this painting by deciphering the imperial ambition which is inscribed in the painting.