Exemplifying the virtues of good government in the Hispanic monarchy: Symbolic animals and political culture in the portraits of Philip IV

Abstract

This paper analyses the symbolism of several animals associated with Philip IV, exemplifying the virtues of the good ruler. These animals, included in literary descriptions and visual representations, act as exempla, emphasizing the virtues that the ideal monarch should practice or the path he should follow. To achieve these aims and to obtain a comprehensive vision, we will study engravings, emblem books, political treatises on monarchy, and pieces of ephemeral architecture. We thus intend to attain a better understanding of the allegorical properties of a number of animals that shaped the visual culture of the king’s ideal image, a perfect example of the symbolic culture during the Spanish Baroque.