Harvard Art Museums > 1922.73: Philip III of Spain Paintings Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Philip III of Spain (Pantoja de la Cruz) , 1922.73,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 03, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/231806. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Gallery Text This portrait of Philip III, king of Spain from 1598 to 1621, is an exact likeness of the monarch, from his actual height (about 5 ft. 4 in.) to his armor, which still exists in the royal collection. It is one of at least five versions of the portrait produced by court painter Juan Pantoja de la Cruz to stand in place of the king in palaces and government buildings. As you can see in the adjacent gallery and corridor, U.S. presidents such as George Washington and John Adams adopted this style of full-height portraiture for their images as elected officials, appropriating the powerful visual language of kingship. As official “chamber painter” at the Spanish court, Pantoja was the only person allowed to take the likeness of the king from life. His original drawing from a sitting with the king was carefully transferred to various canvases by tracing through the paper with powdered white gypsum on the back, after which Pantoja and his studio assistants would paint the replica portraits. Replicas like this one were sent as gifts to foreign courts or taken to disseminate the image of the king throughout his colonies. They indicate the power invested in the royal body and the ways that art helped maintain this position of authority. Identification and Creation Object Number 1922.73 People Pantoja de la Cruz, Spanish (1553 - 1608) Title Philip III of Spain Classification Paintings Work Type painting Date c. 1605 Culture Spanish Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/231806 Location Location Level 2, Room 2210, West Arcade View this object's location on our interactive map Physical Descriptions Medium Oil on canvas Dimensions 203.84 x 99.7 cm (80 1/4 x 39 1/4 in.) Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Dr. Denman W. Ross Accession Year 1922 Object Number 1922.73 Division European and American Art Contact am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Publication History The Annual Report of the President of Harvard University to the Overseers on the State of the University for the Academic Year 1922-1923, President and Fellows of Harvard College (Cambridge, 1923), p. 228 Edgar Peters Bowron, European Paintings Before 1900 in the Fogg Art Museum: A Summary Catalogue including Paintings in the Busch-Reisinger Museum, Harvard University Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 1990), pp. 123, 372, repr. b/w cat. no. 820 Simon Schama, "Blue as Can Be: A Color Archive's Treasures Reveal a History of Pigment", The New Yorker (September 3, 2018), pp. 28-32, p. 31 Jo Kirby, "Scientific Examination of Works of Art in Museums and Galleries", The Burlington Magazine (December 2019), No. 161, pp. 1004-1017, pp. 1008, in fig. 4 Cristina Morilla, Narayan Khandekar, Kate Smith, and Anne Schaffer, Colored grounds and transfer techniques in 17th century 'Spanish royal portraiture: the case of Pantoja de la Cruz’s portrait of Philip III at the Harvard Art Museums, Ground Layers in European Painting 1550–1750, Archetype Publications (June 2019), Pages 34-43, Figure 1, Page 35; Figure 2, Page 36; Figure 3, Page 36; Figure 4, Page 37; Figure 8, Page 39; Figure 9, Page 40; Figure 10, Page 40; Figure 11, Page 40; Figure 12, Page 40; Figure 13, Page 41 Leigh Anne Miller, "A Second-generation Framing Conservator on Tinkering with Picasso, Van Gogh, and Titian Frames", Art in America (August 4, 2020), https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/interviews/framing-conservator-picasso-van-gogh-titian-1202695819/, accessed August 24, 2020 Colleen Walsh, "Unraveling a Fine Arts Mystery", The Harvard Gazette (February 18, 2020), https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/02/harvard-art-museums-restores-king-philip-iii-portrait, accessed February 19, 2020 Exhibition History 32Q: 2210 West Arcade, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/04/2021 - 01/01/2050 Subjects and Contexts ReFrame Related Works Straus.4714 Artist of original: Pantoja de la Cruz X-radiograph(s) of "Philip III" Photographs Verification Level This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu