Certain elements of this imposing portrait bust offer clues to the sitter’s identity. The square collar suggests a date, since it is fashioned after the Spanish golilla that was stylish around 1670. The lamb suspended across the breastplate represents the Order of the Golden Fleece, and the eagle supporting the bust on its open wings refers to the royal Hapsburg coat of arms. These details have been interpreted to identify the subject as either King Philip IV of Spain (1605–1665), or his illegitimate son Don Juan José of Austria (1629–1679)—both members of the Hapsburg family, and both recipients of the Knighthood of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Alessandro Rondoni is known for carving the figure of St. Susanna, one of the 140 sculptures of saints that line the colonnade of St. Peter’s Square in Rome. He was particularly appreciated for his skill in recreating antique sculptures for the gardens and palazzo of noble Roman families.
Details
- Artist Name: Alessandro Rondoni (Italian, c. 1644 - c. 1715)
- Title: Bust Portrait of King Philip IV Supported by an Eagle
- Date: 1671
- Medium: Marble
- Dimensions: Bust: 34 x 26 x 16 in. (86.4 x 66.0 x 40.6 cm); Pedestal 51-1/8 in. (130 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1965.1.125.S
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
[Duveen Brothers, New York, sold 1965 to];
The Norton Simon Foundation.
La Toison d'Or
- Musée Communal des Beaux-Arts, 1962 to
Lock, Stock and Barrel: Norton Simon's Purchase of Duveen Brothers Gallery
- Norton Simon Museum, 2014-10-24 to 2015-02-16
Masterpieces of Five Centuries, Forty-Eight Paintings and Sculptures from the Norton Simon Foundation and the Norton Simon, Inc. Museum
- Houston, Museum of Fine Arts, 1972-10-04 to 1973-11-04
- Pauwels, H., La Toison d'Or, 1962,
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. D88 p. 448
- Andrea Bacchi, Federico Berti, Donatella Pegazzano, Rondoni e Balassi. I Ritratti del Marchese Giovanni Corsi, 2015, figg. 12, 13 pp. 25-26
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