Kings of the Visigoths 1640

Alonzo Cano painted these Kings of the Visigoths in Spain in the 17th century. But the Visigoths themselves were a people who had ruled the Iberian Peninsula a thousand years earlier. So what did it mean to invoke their image at this moment in Spanish history? The picture is full of codes. The robes, sceptres, and crowns are clear visual markers of monarchy, but their rendering is odd. The artist’s decision to depict his figures with contemporary faces and clothing undermines their historical integrity. Cano seems less interested in historical accuracy, and more in thinking about Spain’s place in a European history of monarchy. We can research the history of the Spanish monarchy, its relationship to the Church, and the political events of the 17th century. Only then can we understand the subtle ways that images like this one participated in the political culture of their time.