Masterpiece in Residence: Velázquez’s King Philip IV of Spain
Exhibition
Velázquez’s King Philip IV of Spain from The Frick Collection is on loan to the Meadows Museum as part of its Masterpiece in Residence loan program.
This fall, the Masterpiece in Residence loan series continues at the Meadows Museum with the installation of King Philip IV of Spain (1644) by Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (1599–1660), on loan from The Frick Collection in New York.
This unusual loan of one of Henry Clay Frick’s favorite works is the painting’s first visit to the Meadows, and to the state of Texas. Nicknamed the “Fraga Philip” because it was painted during Philip’s encampment at Fraga during his conquest of the French-controlled city of Lérida in 1644, this portrait encapsulates both his patronage of the arts as well as his military conquests — the king brought Velázquez and other members of the court along with the army on this campaign. The visually arresting portrait, featuring a highly decorated sobreveste, was quickly composed in a makeshift studio and commemorates a pivotal moment in Spanish history.
The portrait will be presented within the context of the museum’s own masterpieces by Velázquez, which trace the artist’s development from his arrival in Madrid in the early 1620s to his return from Italy, and the influence of Titian, during the middle of the century.