Chapter 16
Absolutism and
Constitutionalism in
Western Europe,
ca 1589–1715
Rubens: The Death of Henry IV and the Proclamation of the Regency
(1622–1625)
In 1622 the regent Marie de’ Medici commissioned Peter Paul Rubens to paint a cycle of paintings
depicting her life. This one portrays two distinct moments: the assassination of Henry IV (shown on the
left ascending to Heaven), and Marie’s subsequent proclamation as regent. The queen is seated on a
throne in mourning clothes, with the goddess Athena on her right (representing Prudence), a woman in
the air holding a rudder (symbolizing regency), and the personification of France kneeling before her
offering an orb (symbolizing government). The other twenty-three canvasses in the cycle similarly glorify
Marie, a tricky undertaking given her unhappy marriage to Henry IV and her tumultuous relationship with
her son Louis XIII, who removed her from the regency in 1617. As in this image, Rubens frequently
resorted to allegory and classical imagery to elevate the events of Marie’s life.
Réunion des Musées Nationaux/Art Resource, NY
The Acquisitions of Louis XIV, 1668–1713
The desire for dynastic glory and the weakness of his German neighbors encouraged
Louis’s wars, but his country paid a high price for his acquisitions.
Tiepolo: The Triumph of Spain
This painting is from the ceiling of the Royal Palace in Madrid. Arguably the greatest
Italian painter of the eighteenth century, Giovanni Tiepolo depicted the Spanish
Empire as the self-assured champion of Christian cultural values in Europe and
America.
Palacio Real de Madrid/The Bridgeman Art Library
Peeter Snayers: Spanish Troops (detail)
The long wars that Spain fought over Dutch independence, in support of Habsburg
interests in Germany, and against France left the country militarily exhausted and
financially drained by the mid-1600s. Here Spanish troops—thin, emaciated, and
probably unpaid—straggle away from battle.
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid/The Bridgeman Art Library
Juan de Pareja: The Calling of Saint Matthew
Using rich but subdued colors, Pareja depicts the biblical text (Mark 2:13–17), with
Jesus in traditional first-century dress and the other figures, arranged around a table
covered with an Oriental carpet, in seventeenth-century apparel. Matthew, at Jesus’
right hand, seems surprised by the “call.” Pareja, following a long tradition, includes
himself (standing, rear center).
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid. Photo: José Baztan y Alberto Otero
Van Dyck: Charles I (ca 1635)
Anthony Van Dyck was the greatest of
Rubens’s many students. In 1633 he
became court painter to Charles I. His
portrait of Charles just dismounted from
a horse emphasizes the aristocratic
bearing, elegance, and innate authority
of the king. This monarch seemingly
needs no pomp or magnificence to
display his sovereignty. Van Dyck’s
success led to innumerable
commissions by members of the court
and aristocratic society. He had a
profound influence on English
portraiture and was revered, for
example, by Gainsborough. Some
scholars believe that this portrait
influenced Rigaud’s 1701 portrait of
Louis XIV
Scala/Art Resource, NY
Puritan Occupations
These twelve engravings depict
typical Puritan occupations and show
that the Puritans came primarily from
the artisan and lower middle classes.
The governing classes and peasants
adhered to the traditions of the
Church of England.
Visual Connection Archive
Jan Steen: The Christening Feast
As the mother, surrounded by midwives, rests in bed (rear left) and the father proudly
displays the swaddled child, thirteen other people, united by gestures and gazes,
prepare the celebratory meal. Very prolific, Steen was a master of warm-hearted
domestic scenes. In contrast to the order and cleanliness of many seventeenthcentury Dutch genre paintings, Steen’s more disorderly portrayals gave rise to the
epithet “a Jan Steen household,” meaning an untidy house.
Wallace Collection, London/The Bridgeman Art Library
Room from Het Scheepje (The Little Ship)
A retired sea captain who became a successful brewer in Haarlem owned the house
(adjacent to his brewery) that included this room. The brass chandelier, plates, tiles,
Turkish rug on the table (probably from Transylvania in the Ottoman Empire), oak
mantelpiece, and paneling make this a superb example of a Dutch domestic interior
during the golden age. A bed built into the wall paneling was warmed at night by coals
in the pan hanging by the fireplace.
Room from Het Scheepje, Haarlem, The Netherlands, early 17th century.
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of Edward W. Bok. 1928-66-1
Louis XIV was extremely proud
of the gardens at Versailles and
personally led ambassadors
and other highly ranked
visitors on tours of the
extensive palace grounds.
Louis XIV was extremely proud of the
gardens at Versailles and personally
led ambassadors and other highly
ranked visitors on tours of the
extensive palace grounds.
Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY
Gentleness and deep mutual
devotion seem to pervade
Rembrandt’s The Jewish Bride.
Gentleness and deep mutual devotion
seem to pervade Rembrandt’s The
Jewish Bride.
Rijksmuseum-Stichting Amsterdam