Philip II

Among the most politically significant portraits Antonis Mor ever painted, this image of Philip II dates to 1555 — the year Philip was invested with the Netherlands and a year before his accession to the full Spanish crown. Mor captures the future king in full armour, the dominant mode for representing royal military authority in the mid-sixteenth century. Philip had begun his tenure as ruler with the victory at Saint-Quentin in 1557, and the armoured portrait established him visually as a warrior king as much as an administrative monarch. The Prado panel is among the best-preserved of Mor's armour portraits, its surface retaining the full differentiation of polished steel, etched decoration, and the dark brocade underneath.

Rendering polished armour presented distinct challenges: Mor painted it through a combination of cool grey underpaint, warm golden-brown glaze layers in the shaded areas, and sharp white highlights for the most reflective surfaces. Etched decoration on the armour breastplate is described with fine dark lines applied over the dried silver-grey underlayer. The contrast with the warm flesh of the face is carefully managed.