ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the construction of the visual identity of queens consort and infantas at the Spanish court through an analysis of the costume and the representation in portraiture. The arrival of the new queen took some of the spotlight away from the infante. In 1650, Mariana de Austria received over forty garments including dresses, overskirts, capes and bodices. The majority of the portraits of the queens and infantas were sent to other courts, either to strengthen dynastic or diplomatic connections, or as part of marriage negotiations. The portraits that remained in the Alcazar in Madrid had very different characteristics and were hung in a range of spaces depending on the king’s personal taste or else on the iconographic programmes designed for specific rooms by the palace aposentadores. The queen achieved great political renown as regent while Felipe was absent dealing with the Catalan Revolt, a facet of the conflict with France.
