Portret van Maria Christina van Bourbon-Sicilië, koningin van Spanje 1835 - 1851

This is Antoine Maurin's portrait of Maria Christina, Queen of Spain, rendered with delicate precision. The feathers adorning her head are more than mere decoration; they echo throughout history, harking back to ancient Egyptian headdresses symbolizing power and divinity. Consider the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl, a Mesoamerican deity, or the Greek god Hermes, often depicted with winged sandals. Feathers, in their lightness and association with flight, have long been linked with transcendence and spiritual authority. Maria Christina's feathers, while signaling earthly royalty, resonate with these deeper, more primal associations. The very act of adorning oneself with feathers—borrowing from the avian realm—speaks to a desire to assume qualities of freedom, vision, and higher perspective. Such symbols are not static; they evolve, accumulating layers of meaning as they are carried across cultures and epochs. This constant metamorphosis of the motif is a testament to humanity's enduring quest to express power and divinity.