Portrait of Isabel Kiafa Eugenio can be considered a model of the Spanish front portraiture of the crowned person. On a dark velvety background there is a very young woman standing before us, almost a girl, tightened like a cuirass, into the hard corset of her ceremonial dress. One of her hands clasps a handkerchief, and the other rests on the back of a dark red chair.
This beloved daughter of Philip II and his third wife, Isabelle, a princess from the house of Valois, the sister of the famous Queen Margot, will live a long life. She will prove herself as a just and wise ruler of Flanders, and she did much to end the war between the Netherlands and Spain. Her rule will be the time of the flourishing of the sciences and art, to which she will patronize. But all this is in the future. And now a calm and confident look of the young princess in a white dress with lace, gold embroidery, pearls and jewels is directed at us from the portrait; sixteen, she will travel from home to a distant and warring country.
The artist perfectly passed on the maiden’s swelling of the face, which can not hide the seriousness, even the stiffness of her gaze. Lips, still childishly swollen, give the face a capricious expression. Small, whitened hands are lined with rings. In addition to the face and hands in the portrait, everything else is a dress, he is given special attention. White, from the hard brocade, it is embroidered with gold and richly decorated with precious stones. The fabric of the dress is so dense that the shape it forms is completely devoid of folds. A hard and thorny collar propps the young face with no longer girlish, staring eyes.
Masterfully written out a gold necklace surrounding the tightly closed dress neck. Almost tangible seem to be the gems that adorn the belt and buttons on the princess dress. Everything should serve to validate the significance of the portrait. At the same time, with what ease the artist has managed to do all this. He solved all the tasks assigned to him – and enjoyed the beauty of a gentle hand clutching a handkerchief. To brighten the shade of the second hand, he put it on the back of the red chair. With obvious admiration, he depicts and the princess crowning an intricate hat, adorned with pearls and feathers.
(2 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)