Charles III dining before the Court
1771 - 1772.Room 093
During the rule of Charles III, King of Spain (1759–1788), the rigorous court protocol established by the Habsburg Charles V was relaxed, and a broader circle of privileged people was allowed to enter the king’s room. Already under Charles V there were ordinary and solemn public meals, in which he would dine before a varied yet select representation of court members. Phillip IV chose not to follow this custom, which would not resume until the Bourbon government. Later on, in 1836, this easing of the protocol was criticised, since it meant that the privileged were on the same level as the other people who were not previously allowed into the royal chambers.
This work is unique, both because of its subject matter and the conception of the luxurious palace room depicted. The wide and open space contrasts with the tiny figures located in the margins and emphasises the figure of the sovereign, who sits alone before a long dining table. The room is illuminated from the left and is furnished with a large carpet and with a chimney screen on the right. The walls are lavishly decorated with mythological tapestries, and over the door behind the king there is a relief showing a winged genii before a blazing altar and under a radiant sun. A high wall mirror with two candelabras and a vaulted fresco – fruit of the artist’s imagination – complete the decoration of the room. The king bears the Golden Fleece and the red sash of the Neapolitan Order of Saint Januarius, under which the blue sash of the Order of the Holy Spirit can be perceived. Neither he nor his entourage bear the stars of the order of his name, which was founded on 19 September 1771. This was Saint Januarius’ day, as well as the date when, after five long years, the long-desired firstborn child of the Prince of Asturias, infante Carlos Clemente, was born. The absence of those stars may indicate that Paret’s recreation of the act takes place prior to that date or either precisely on that date or on 21 February 1772, when Pope Clement XIV approved the Order.
The monarch raises his cup – which a kneeling servant before the table has just offered him on a plate – while he listens with evident satisfaction to a letter read by the royal courier behind him or transmitted by the cardinal besides him. He must be Cardinal Ventura Fernández de Córdoba y de la Cerda (1724–1777), son of the Duke of Medinaceli (chaplain and high almoner of the king), who the very same 19 September 1771 was designated as first grand chancellor of the Order of Charles III. This title ought to have been bestowed upon ‘one of the most distinguished prelates in our kingdom’, according to the government system of the Orders of the Holy Spirit and Saint Januarius. His appearance is documented in an engraved print executed in Rome by Pietro Antonio Pazzi, in which we see the resemblance to the represented cardinal. The knight in blue to the left of the table is surely the Genoese Pablo Jerónimo Grimaldi y Pallavicini (c. 1709–1789), first Secretary of State between 1763–1776 and member of the golillas party. This party was mainly made up of lawyers and supporters of absolutism. He bears the blue sash of the Order of the Holy Spirit, which was bestowed upon him on 1 January 1762 without having received the sash of Saint Januarius. His features are reminiscent of those in Anton von Maron’s portrait (unknown whereabouts) made in Rome. Print, miniature and oil copies were made from it. To the right of the table, the gentleman in red and blue who stares at the viewer has a physiognomy resembling that of the Count of Aranda (1719–1798) in his portrait by Joaquín Inza.
Aranda was chair of the Council of Castille between 1766 and 1773, when he was sent to Paris as Spanish ambassador (1773–1787). He was also head of the Aragonese party that defended the regional code of laws suppressed by Felipe V. Therefore, he was Grimaldi’s adversary. The positioning of these gentlemen to the left and right of the table could in fact convey the parties’ opposing ideas, as could the expressions and body language of the courtiers that surround them: those in the left appear pleased, whereas those in the right have a more dismal demeanour.
The subject matter represented in the tapestries may allude to the king’s thoughts and personal taste regarding patriotism, love, hunting and military honour. Nonetheless, it seems more likely that they attest to the monarch’s supreme authority and divine right.
In this scene, the king appears in a meeting with representatives of the Church as well as members of his government, who have different ideas and objectives. Specific events consolidated royal authority and are possibly related to this painting. These events include the birth of an infante – which guaranteed dynastic succession – or the founding of an Order to reward actions that benefited the country and the Crown. Royal authority had been challenged a few years earlier by the so-called Esquilache riots and is being praised in the iconography of this room’s decoration.
It has been suggested that one of the attendees at the king’s meals commissioned Paret to produce this painting. This idea would be supported by the artist’s signature as ‘son of his father and mother’, which emphasised his not yet having neither title nor job. This could mean that the work’s commissioner was an influential court member, someone from whom the artist hoped to obtain a recommendation, perhaps the cardinal represented in the painting.
Maurer, Gudrun, 'Luis Paret y Alcázar. Carlos III comiendo ante su corte' En:. Paret, Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado, 2022, p.106-109 nº 16
