Story of a Portrait

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7865, 29 July 1911, Page 11

Story of a Portrait

\V/ITEN King Philip of Spain set out W by way of Arragon to join his army in 3611, tbo Court painter was summoned by royal command to paint his monarch’s picture in a military dress, in old rose and silver, and with sword and gauntlet, this much-painted monarch stood before tho easel, and had himself perpetuated to the memory of the world, though not by virtue of his own royal dignities at all but because the hand that held that swift, sure brush was tho hand of Velasquez. And then the xucture was bent home to tho royal palace, and in duo time it fell to the share of the grandson of the monarch, tho infauto Philip, second son of Philip V. and Elizabeth of Parma, 'Phis young Philip inherited the 'duchy of karma for his own and went tbers carrying the portrait of his grandfather, among other furnishings and trappings and heirlooms, and perchance tiio picture was no more regarded than the rose and silver garments that figure in it.

But tho vicissitudes of them who claimed .sovereignty in Parma aro many. Tossed back and forth from Italy to Spain, to France, to Austria and back at lost to tho Italian monarchy in 18fi0, Parma has a varied story. 'The Pormese Bourbons must have found that the head wearing a ducal crown lies full as uneasy as the monarch’s own. But tho picture of tho royal Spaniard remained at Parma with rows of other family portraits, tho traditions of its painting by now quite forgotten, till the Buurbous were finally driven from Parma in 3859. Then it was taken by tho dowager duchess to her castle at Wartburg, Switzerland/ and thence found its way to the castle of Schwartzau, near Steinfcld, Austria, at tho hands of Duke Bobert, who in turn bequeathed it to Prince Elias do Bourbon. Eventually the picture dealers got scent of it. The record of the painting of that picture exists in the documents of the time and Justi’s well known book on Velasquez assumed that the famous portrait in the Dulwich gallery, London, was this portrait. That was afterward decided by expert judgment to bo only a copy.