Design for a Catafalque for King Philip IV of Spain
17th century
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, highlighted with gray wash, over traces of graphite
Dimensions
sheet: 18 13/16 x 14 5/16 in. (47.8 x 36.4 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gourary, 1989
Accession Number
1989.1129
Tags
Art Historical Context
This intricate 17th-century drawing a grand design for a catafalque—an ornate temporary structure used to support a coffin during state funerals—for King Philip IV Spain, who reigned from 1621 1665 and died year. Created by an anonymous Italian artist it reflects the opulent Baroque tradition of funeral architecture, blending Italianate grandeur with Spanish royal pomp. Such designs were essential for public mourning rituals, symbolizing the monarch's divine authority and the empire's vast power, often erected in cathedrals like Madrid's Almudena. Executed in pen and brown ink with brush and ...