Abdication of Charles III

The abdication of Charles III of Spain — or more precisely his voluntary departure from the Neapolitan throne to claim the greater Spanish crown in 1759 — was the defining political spectacle of eighteenth-century Naples. Antonio Joli, as court painter, was commissioned to record the ceremonial aspects of this transition, and the Prado's canvas depicting the abdication moment documents the formal gathering of Neapolitan court figures at which Charles announced his departure and designated his young son Ferdinand as successor. The painting belongs to the remarkable series of commemorative canvases Joli produced around this single event: the departure viewed from land, from sea, and the formal abdication ceremony itself. Together they constitute an unparalleled painted record of a major eighteenth-century dynastic transition. The Prado's possession of the work reflects how these canvases were indeed received in Spain as part of Charles III's new royal collections.

Unlike Joli's panoramic harbour views, this interior or ceremonial outdoor composition places greater emphasis on figure arrangement than architecture. The court figures are painted with more individual attention than typical staffage, though they remain secondary to the ceremonial setting.