Rubens's "Duke of Lerma, Equestrian" Amongst "Imperial Horsemen"

TheDuke of Lerma, Equestrianas a Roman Imperial Image in the Court of Philip III of Spain: A Historiographical Reappraisal

“…On this basis Moffitt constructs an interpretation of the Lerma, Equestrian that succinctly reveals numerous subtle, and somewhat less subtle, ways in which the Duke of Lerma raided the art of the past to layer his own representation with the symbolism of Charles V of Spain. 5 Whilst this is undoubtedly the most extensive and thorough investigation of the Lerma, Equestrian to date, it leaves unexamined a possible imperial theme Moffitt would identify in a later equestrian essay on the subject of Titian's Charles V, Equestrian; The Forgotten Role of a »Determined Christian Knight«, 2001; an essay in which he interprets Titian's Charles V as both a reference to medieval iconography and a Renaissance representation of a classical imperial theme. 6 In the paper we present here, we start from the premise of Moffitt's initial interpretation of Lerma as dominant in the conception of the Rubens' painting, but seek to apply and significantly expand on the later imperial theme that he developed in The Forgotten Role.…”

“…8 For twenty years Lerma was, in effect, seen as the supreme ruler of Spain. The Venetian ambassador Francesco Soranzo reported in 1602 that it was more important to be in favour with the Duke than with the King, 9 and Rubens, writing in 1626, tells the anecdote of an Italian gentleman received in audience by Philip III who, on being referred to the Duke of Lerma by the King, replied '. .…”

“…In a separate text, Panofsky has demonstrated that this use of the spear and, by extension, the connotation of a battle about to commence, is linked to the Holy Warrior Christian knight interpretation. 2 9 Moffitt himself extends on Panofsky's ideas in this regard, identifying that the first recorded possessor of the Heilige Lance was Otto the Great (936 Á72). According to the earliest written records (in the »Saxon Chronicle«) he states that »with this instrument in hand Otto gained an important victory over the Mongols at the battle of Leck«.…”

[es] EL EJERCICIO DE GOBIERNO Y SU IMAGEN PICTÓRICA, A PROPÓSITO DE LOS RETRATOS ECUESTRES DE LERMA Y OLIVARES

“…Se ha pensado que la batalla del fondo es el símbolo de la guerra que el valido libraba día a día contra sus enemigos [32], no obstante, si pensamos que el cuadro estaba ideado para ser destinado en último término al rey [33], parece estimable la idea de hermandad y de paz, frente a una confrontación real que desviaría entonces la atención y el significado del cuadro y su figura al mundo de la Corte. Por ello, me inclino a pensar que las pretensiones se veían cercanas a desviar la atención del espectador de los problemas de la realidad, centrándolo en un mundo más amable e idealizado.…”