The Equestrian Portrait of Philip IV Regains Its Original Splendour at the Prado Museum

The Prado Museum presented the restoration of Velázquez's "Philip IV on Horseback" this Thursday. The intervention on this painting, carried out by María Álvarez Garcillán over four months, has restored the chromatic richness, light, and original structure of a work that had suffered the effects of time and past interventions. The restoration was sponsored by the Iberdrola Spain Foundation.

The restored work is an equestrian portrait painted by the Sevillian genius between late 1634 and early 1635, during a period of great artistic activity. It depicts Philip IV in strict profile, riding a horse in corvette, inspired by Titian's "Charles V at Mühlberg," where the open landscape and sky take prominence. Interestingly, in the lower left corner of the canvas, where Velázquez usually includes a sheet of paper to sign his works, this one appears blank. It is a deliberate gesture: the artist asserts that his style and technique are so recognizable that he does not need a signature.

Velázquez undertook this commission in full artistic maturity, without delegating to his workshop. The result is a composition that combines dry brushstrokes with strokes loaded with binder, creating a visual texture that transforms into recognizable forms from a distance. "Eyes, hands, horse, sky, and landscape emerge with a naturalness that only the Sevillian genius could achieve," as described in a press release from the Prado Museum.

One of the specific challenges posed by the restoration was the treatment of the lateral bands added by Velázquez himself to the initial format to adapt to the architecture of the Hall of Realms in the old Royal Palace. With these additions, the lower left corner overlapped the access door. As in the portrait of Isabel de Borbón, the solution was to cut the fragment that invaded the passage and attach it to the door itself, so it could open but remained concealed when closed.

"When the works were relocated to the New Palace (current Royal Palace), the portraits underwent a re-lining treatment that allowed sewing that corner to the rest of the painting. The trace of this process is still visible, but efforts have been made to interfere as little as possible with the experience before the work: the suture that joined the severed fragment has been removed, as well as the stucco that covered it, and the painting has been fixed in vulnerable areas. The cleaning has reduced the oxidized varnish that yellowed the colours, and overpaints that concealed the original painting have been removed," explains the statement.

For Jaime Alfonsín, president of the Iberdrola Spain Foundation, "this restoration of the equestrian portrait of Philip IV shows us how the original piece was conceived by one of the great masters of Spanish painting, Velázquez. Thanks to this intervention, the work has been returned to its original appearance, revealing itself not only as a magnificent work in its aspect and composition but also regaining its great splendour."

The work is part of a series of portraits made by Velázquez to adorn the ends of the Hall of Realms with the intention of representing the continuity of the monarchy and its dynasty. To the east, on either side of the throne, were the portraits of Philip III and Margaret of Austria, the king's parents, and opposite, facing west, the portraits of Philip IV, Prince Baltasar Carlos, and Isabella of France. The latter was also recently restored with the sponsorship of the Iberdrola Spain Foundation.

This equestrian portrait, unique in the series containing the Velazquezian declaration of authorship that the blank space for the signature implies, depicts the monarch in strict profile, riding a horse in corvette, with sash, baton, and armour. Unlike other equestrian portraits that exalt power through dynamism, Velázquez opts for a serene representation, inspired by Titian's "Charles V at Mühlberg," where the open landscape and sky take prominence.

The work was created between late 1634 and early 1635, during a period of great artistic activity for Velázquez, who received payments for six paintings intended for the Hall of Realms. This space, conceived as an exaltation of the power of the Spanish monarchy, gathered royal portraits, battle scenes, and mythological allegories. The portrait of Philip IV occupied a prominent place in front of the throne, alongside those of Isabel de Borbón and Prince Baltasar Carlos, reinforcing the image of dynastic continuity.

The landscape that serves as a backdrop recalls the foothills between Madrid and the Sierra de Guadarrama, especially the area of El Hoyo, a familiar environment for Velázquez. This choice reinforces the connection between the monarch and his territory and adds a naturalistic dimension that contrasts with the rigidity of other courtly portraits.