GASPAR DE CRAYER (Antwerp, 1584-Ghent, 1669). "Portrait of Philip IV. Oil on canvas. Relined. Measurements: 114 x 80,5 cm; 130 x 99 cm (frame). We are before a portrait of the king Felipe IV that follows the models imposed by the official portrait painting of the time, with the monarch located next to a table where the royal attributes of the mime are found as, for example; the crown and the baton of command, that the king himself points with one of his fingers. In the work we observe an insistence on the detail of Flemish lineage, which can be seen in the brocade of the table cloth, and in the care with which the jewels have been modeled, such as the ring or the toisón hanging from his neck. On the other hand, the composition, as we have already mentioned, does not represent an advance with respect to the model of representation of the monarchs, maintaining the forms of the previous models. Thus, here we see the ideal of the previous generation: the character is represented erect and almost rigid, in an interior of neutral tonality that is hardly endowed with depth with the artifice of a gathered curtain that is, at the same time, a symbol of authority and majesty. Likewise, always following models established in the time of Philip IV, the costume is treated with a meticulousness that reproduces all its details, and the character appears wrapped in clothes that appear rigid. Due to its technical characteristics, this work is aesthetically similar to the work of Gaspar de Crayer, a painter and draftsman of Dutch origin. In 1607 he became a member of the painters' guild in the city of Brussels, where he developed a large part of his career. His painting was highly recognized by the aristocracy of the time, so he was soon closely linked to the court. Gaspar de Crayer's early works include portraits of the kings of Spain and the Spanish governors and officials who were stationed in the Spanish Netherlands, as well as members of the Brussels city council. For example, the equestrian portrait of Don Diego Messia Felipe de Guzmán (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna) was painted by De Crayer in 1627-1628. In addition, from the beginning of his career, de Crayer received commissions for altarpieces to decorate various churches and monasteries around Brussels. It was not until 1635 that Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria, brother of King Philip IV of Spain and governor of the Spanish Netherlands after the death of his aunt Isabella Clara Eugenia in 1633, made him his first court painter. He later worked as court painter for Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, who became governor in 1647. Dimensions 114 x 80,5 cm; 130 x 99 cm (frame).