ABSTRACT
In the Spanish court of Philip II, between 1559 and late 1560s, three Habsburg princes were raised and educated together: Don Carlos, Alessandro Farnese, and Don John of Austria. This chapter examines the paintings of the princes to emulate those of Philip II and sometimes his father, Emperor Charles V. These princely portraits present an understanding of early modern adolescence as youthful promise that was observed and illustrated by their evident physical growth between images and the attributes that indicate the titles and roles they were expected to fulfil as adults. Conversely, moulding the young prince into the model of Habsburg portraiture could be understood as a privilege and sign of his acceptance as a part of the royal familia, as the king himself had taken an interest in Alessandro's portrait. In 1564, accompanied by Adam von Dietrichstein, Rudolf and Ernst from the Austrian Habsburg branch arrived in Madrid, to be educated in the Spanish Habsburg court of Philip II.
