Portrait of Philip II, King of Spain (mid-1550s): Art, History and Details

Portrait of Philip II, King of Spain (mid-1550s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Alessandro Cesati (Italian, before 1538-after 1564).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Clad in armor, Philip II wears a chain with the Order of Golden Fleece around his neck. The remarkably precise and varied cutting describes the textures of cloth, metal, skin, and hair while presenting the king’s features with striking naturalism—complete with receding hairline and prominent chin—as well as conveying his forceful character. Carved gems were luxury arts of the highest order in the Renaissance, hotly collected and used as diplomatic gifts. The original patron is not yet known, but cameos played a prominent role at the Spanish court, where the royal family often hold gems of Philip II in their portraits. The yellow quartz, rare in the 1500s, probably came from a newly opened source in South America; this object is thus both a natural marvel and a masterful portrait. One of only three known works signed by the artist (his initials appear at miniscule scale on the collar just below the knot of cloth), this stone is also likely in its original setting.

Object facts

• Title: Portrait of Philip II, King of Spain
• Date: mid-1550s
• Creator attribution: Alessandro Cesati (Italian, before 1538-after 1564)
• Culture: Italy
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: citrine, mounted in a gold and enamel pendant
• Dimensions: Pendant: 4.3 x 2.8 x 0.9 cm (1 11/16 x 1 1/8 x 3/8 in.); Gem: 3.2 x 2.5 cm (1 1/4 x 1 in.)
• Collection: Sculpture
• Department: European Painting and Sculpture
• Accession number: 2012.53

A detail from the museum

The ancient Romans believed citrine, a type of quartz, offered protection against evil thoughts.

Collection credit

By exchange: Bequests of Mrs. Severance A. Millikin and John L. Severance; Dudley P. Allen Fund; Gift of Carrie Moss Halle in memory of Salmon Portland Halle; Gift of S. Livingstone Mather, Constance Mather Bishop, Philip R. Mather, Katherine Hoyt Cross,

Further reading listed by the museum

• Cupperi, Walter. "Replication, Iconographic Seriality, and Cross-Cultural Issues: New Perspectives on the Portrait Cameos of Philip II." Hispanic Research Journal, Vol. 16, No. 5 (October 2015): 403-422.
• Boardman, John. The Marlborough Gems: Formerly at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 53 no. 02, March/April 2013

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.