The Triumphs of Caesar: 4. The Vase-Bearers

Mantegna's Triumphs of Caesar: The Vase-Bearers (Canvas 4) of around 1488 depicts attendants carrying magnificent vessels — kraters, amphorae, and silver plate captured from defeated enemies — as part of the great Roman triumphal procession he painted for the Gonzaga court at Mantua. The Triumphs constitute Mantegna's most sustained archaeological reconstruction of ancient Rome, the vases' precise classical forms demonstrating his systematic study of antique decorative arts. The series was purchased by Charles I and remains at Hampton Court.

The young cardinal's crimson vestments are painted with the liquid brushwork that Velazquez mastered during his Italian sojourns. The face, still youthful and unlined, contrasts with the gravity of the ecclesiastical costume — a visual tension that mirrors the sitter's precarious political position.