Charles V and the Empress Isabella 1628

Here, Peter Paul Rubens captures Charles V and Empress Isabella in oil paint. The formal attire and regal bearing speak volumes of their status, yet it is the subtle symbols that truly enrich the image. Consider the small box between them; it is a reliquary, a vessel for sacred relics. This motif harkens back to medieval reliquaries, where saintly remains were believed to imbue power, protection, and divine sanction. Here, its presence reinforces the divine right of rulers, connecting them to a lineage blessed by providence. These symbols are not static. In earlier Byzantine icons, such objects often signified direct divine intervention. Yet, by the Renaissance, they evolved into symbols of inherited authority. The reliquary, therefore, embodies the cyclical progression of power, constantly re-emerging in art, adapting to the needs and beliefs of the era, engaging our collective memory and subconscious understanding of authority.