Otto van VEEN - Lot 51

Otto van VEEN (Leiden 1556 - Brussels 1629 ) Portrait of Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma Copper Diameter: 6.5 cm On the reverse of the frame, a second miniature, 17th-century FLEMISH school, follower of Antonio MORO, Portrait of Marguerite of Austria, copper, 6.5 cm Third Duke of Parma, Governor of the Low Countries, Alexander Farnese (Rome 1545 - Arras 1592) was one of the most famous military figures of his time. He was the son of Margaret of Austria, legitimate daughter of Charles V, and Octavian Farnese, Duke of Parma. Through his father, he was the great-grandson of Pope Paul III. He spent his early years in Parma. In 1556, following the Parma War and his father's new alliance with Spain, Alexander joined his uncle Philip II of Spain as a hostage in Brussels, then capital of the Habsburg Netherlands. In 1559, Alexander Farnese followed Philip II to Spain, his mother Margaret of Austria having been appointed regent and governor of the Low Countries. He stayed for several years, completing his education and befriending his uncle Don Juan of Spain, another of Charles V's legitimate bastards. In 1565, Alexander Farnese married Maria of Portugal, with whom he had three children. They lived in Parma for several years. In 1771, he joined Don Juan of Austria in the conflict with the Ottomans, and through his military talent and diplomatic skills, he succeeded in calming the tensions between the admirals of the various nationalities taking part in the war. He was one of the main architects of the victory at Lepanto. In 1577, at the head of the Spanish army, he was sent to the Netherlands, which had revolted against the Spanish. His moderation led to the Treaty of Arras in 1579. In 1585, he conquered Ghent, Brussels, Nijmegen and Antwerp, earning Spain's return of the Duchy of Piacenza and the Golden Fleece. He became governor of the Netherlands on the death of Don Juan of Austria in 1778. He subsequently won numerous victories over Henri IV. He died suddenly in Arras, and his remains were transferred to Parma, where he is buried beside his wife. With the exception of a few youthful portraits, most effigies of Alexander Farnese were produced after 1585, establishing the image of the great military defender of the faith, haloed in glory, that he had become. According to Diane H. Bodart, who devoted a study to the portraits of the Duke of Parma, this was a deliberate choice. Scalded by the excess of images spread in an undiplomatic manner by the Duke of Alba, Alessandro chose to be represented, "visible" through his feats of arms and the splendor and magnificence of the armor made for him. With his many victories and military and political exploits to his credit, he agreed to pose for a few rare painters. Most of his portraits are, in fact, re-creations of a single, updated model. Otto van Veen, official painter to the Farnese family in Brussels, worked on several occasions for Alessandro Farnese. A miniature painted around 1585 is in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The second portrait is of Alexander Farnese's mother, Margaret of Austria, a partial reworking of a 1562 painting by Antonio Moro, now in Berlin's Gemälde Galerie. The legitimate daughter of Charles V, Margaret of Austria received an education befitting her rank. She married Alexandre de Médicis in 1536, then Octave Farnese, whom she considered of inferior rank, in 1538. In 1545, Pope Paul III created the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza for her son Peter Louis Farnese, and Octavian, her grandson, became Duke of Castro. After becoming King of Spain, Philip II appointed his half-sister Marguerite regent and governor of the Low Countries between 1559 and 1567. During this period, she had to deal with many discontents and revolts, which she tried to appease. She was replaced by the less consensual Duke of Alba. She returned to Piacenza, where she maintained a court of intellectuals and artists. In 1581, Philip II appointed her regent for a second time, but her son Alessandro Farnese refused to share his power. She died in Ortona.