Portrait of a Prince (Infante) Bartolomé González

Likenesses of royal children constitute a special subgenre of court portraiture. When executing such works, painters had to follow strict rules, as these were no ordinary children: they were the guarantors that the royal dynasty would live on, and as such, they were depicted in formal, stately poses, which were somewhat contrived and generally unbefitting of their young age. Due to the Habsburgs’ propensity for marrying within the family, compounded by the poor hygiene of the times, relatively few Habsburg children lived beyond the age of five. It is therefore interesting that in their childhood portraits, infantes and infantas were usually shown wearing a belt of amulets around their waist. This ancient practice was intended to protect the child from the many illnesses and curses to which they might be exposed.