Ontvangst van de gemalin van Karel III in Barcelona, 1708 1712 - 1715

Johann August Corvinus made this print in 1708, showing the reception of Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel in Barcelona, as the wife of Charles the Third. Images like this one are steeped in the politics of imagery. They depict the kind of public role that art was expected to play in the 18th century. Made in the Netherlands, this print captures a very specific moment in the War of the Spanish Succession. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI was briefly King of Spain. The image depicts the arrival of his wife, intended to cement his rule. But how successful was this piece of propaganda? To understand this print better, we might use resources from the Royal Collection or the British Library. The historian can look at who commissioned this print, how it was circulated, and how it was received, to find out more about the cultural and institutional context.