Carreto became an influential figure in the political and courtly life, interacting with such important figures as Don Luis de Haro, but above all he was very close to the monarch himself, Felipe IV. During the ten years he lived in Madrid, he must have known perfectly that regal entertainment space such as the Buen Retiro Palace and, specifically, the Hall of Realms. A space where art and politics were unified, projecting a visible and public sample of the greatness of the Monarchy. A great iconographic work of the monarch and especially of his favorite, the Count-Duke of Olivares, conceived to dazzle everyone who passed by, from ambassadors to prominent members of European courts, as well as the king's own subjects. Without too much effort we can imagine the imperial diplomat and soldier in that room, with his diligent gaze going over the paintings of the royal family, the labors of Hercules personifying Spain or, especially, the twelve paintings of a military nature. Because Carreto, more than a diplomat, was a military man by profession, with great experience behind him and, in fact, military adviser to Felipe IV. As a skillful diplomat and audacious soldier, he should not have overlooked the detail, never arbitrary in a painting, which Zurbarán decided to include in his work Defense of Cádiz against the English in 1634.
The origin of the painting, as of the room where it was exhibited, was to extol the victories of the Monarchy's arms, specifically the successful defense of the Bay of Cadiz attacked by the English, by order of Charles I of England and his favorite Duke of Buckingham, in 1625, the result of which was an absolute failure on the part of the English troops, assuming a considerable loss of prestige. Undoubtedly, the imperial ambassador must have known the characters who starred in the painting well, Don Fernando Girón, governor of the plaza, Diego Ruiz, Master of the Field under his orders, or Don Lorenzo de Cabrera. And between batons, armor or the gunpowder that surrounds the ships, ensigns of war, slips a piece of paper. It is carried by the only character who looks at us, almost hidden behind Girón's chair, whose only distinctive element is a cross of Santiago on his doublet. The paper, whose white stands out in a black context, must be understood as a characterizing sign of the person who carries it, it must be identified as a symbolic attribute that describes the function of the character; points to the portrayed and the functions of him.
Carreto had to perfectly identify its meaning, because for an object, whether painted in a painting or sculpted in a statue, to reach the status of a symbol of a moral or intellectual concept, previously it must become a language that must be identified and understood by those who see it. Zurbarán is aware of the assignment that has been made to him, it must be a propaganda picture of the Monarchy intended to be seen by a large number of people, exhibited in a space designed for such. If the story is not understood, if there is no public that knows how to decipher its symbols, it does not become propaganda. For this reason, he does not paint a role, but a conventionalism by which that object is understood on its ideological plane, convinced that it knows how to interpret. Perhaps, continuing with our hypothetical meeting between Carreto, Zurbarán and his work, I could identify this discreet character, but what interests us is to observe the transformation of the role from object to symbol.
The administration of the Hispanic Monarchy
In the Modern Age, paper gained more and more space, in monarchies whose control and administration mechanisms grew larger due to the complexity of the actions and problems they had to face. . The Hispanic Monarchy faced the challenge of governing an immense space, divided and heterogeneous in people, customs and institutions. From the king to the last member of the political system, to a greater or lesser extent, they surrounded themselves with bureaucrats, lawyers, secretaries and other personnel assigned to the enormous paperwork generated by the practice of government. An entire culture of paper was established in the monarchies, and thanks to it an element that brought territories closer and made their government possible was made available. It was the transmitting element of orders and ideas, and the support where the memory of the Monarchy was recorded.
The role played by the character behind Don Fernando Girón is framed in this context. Because of the distinctive cross on his chest, he would be a prominent member of the administration working for the governor in Cádiz. The inclusion of a civilian element in a picture of a clearly military nature is significant to the point of being able to observe a weapon in that role. more in the victory against the English. Zurbarán points out that swords and gunpowder, that is, the military panoply would not have been enough without that administration. The paper It has made possible a transmission of orders that is essential for the strategy, training, effective command and discipline required by armies as large as those that existed at that time. Paper is the link between the military and the civil spheres, the combination of which makes it possible to achieve victory only in this way. In the world of Carreto, which is none other than that of Felipe IV, paper is an omnipresent element .
Corral y Arellano, a high official of the Crown, poses for Velázquez's brushes with papers in his hands, confirming his world as a lawyer, but perhaps also showing (us) his famous Consultation of 1619 on the reform that had to be done to remedy the evils of the Monarchy. Paper, in its broadest sense (tickets, memorials, consultations), has not only been understood as a symbol but has also been socially accepted as early as the 17th century. The paper has reached such approval that it has become established as an attribute of kings, which dignifies, but also conveys command and governance. Felipe IV holds a banknote in his portrait velazqueño of 1623, with an indisputable leading role with respect to the rest of the symbols, and Olivares, emulating him, as a good value, supports him in his portrait of 1635. His orders, issued in Madrid, raise armies, appoint or dismiss positions, invest titles, ennoble lands or grant military habits in Europe, America or Asia, all signed on a paper .
An element so representative of power , military or civil, that the preacher fray Jerónimo de Florencia included him as an intrinsic element of the validation before Philip IV in 1621:«[...] he had another job as his private confidant, in charge of the papers and the immediate negotiation with his prince […]"[1]. Royal trust and intervention in government affairs, that is, in the papers , as inseparable attributes of the valid[2]. An attribute that perhaps we miss in the hands of Felipe II, more used by the bureaucrat king in his marathon days than the swords with which he immortalizes himself, but perhaps also an excessively new element, then, for a painting, since he was just beginning his journey as a symbol of the new times.
The thirds that serve the Monarchy are detailed in papers , the genealogies are presented and the informants record the testimonies regarding the applicants to the Military Orders in files , the consultations are seen and voted on in the multiple Councils , military services are presented in long relationships , kings send instructions to their governors and ambassadors reported by means of letters (encrypted or not). It is a paper world, a monarchy built on paper, a "prematurely paper-oriented" society[3].
All this was evident to Zurbarán and to all those who passed through the Hall of Kingdoms , because whether or not they knew the enigmatic bearer of the bill behind Girón's chair, this does not distort its meaning, since what it sustains is a recognizable "State" concept. The weapons of the Monarchy had been made of steel and gunpowder, but also of paper, which were preserved and accumulated in the institutions, today in the archives, telling us of a Monarchy, which during the embassy of Francesco Antonio del Carreto, would sign its ending on a paper .
Print fonts
- Florencia, Gerónimo de, Sermon that I preach to the catholic majesty of the king don Felipe quarto…in the honors that his majesty did to the king our lord…in san jeronimo del royal of Madrid on May 4, 1621 , Madrid, by Luis Sánchez, 1621. BNE, V.E./ 153/36, fol. 28v.
Bibliography
- Bouza Álvarez, F., From the scribe to the library. European written civilization in the early modern age (15th-17th century) , Madrid, Synthesis, 1992.
- Chartier, R., The world as representation. Studies in cultural history . Barcelona, Gedisa, 1995.
- Elliott, J.H. and Brown, J., A Palace for the King , Madrid, Taurus, 2011.
- Elliott, J.H., The Count-Duke of Olivares , Barcelona, Critique, 1990.
- Tomas y Valiente, F., The valid ones in the Spanish monarchy of the XVII , Madrid, Institute of Political Studies, 1963.
Notes
[1] Florencia, Gerónimo de, Sermon that I preach to the Catholic Majesty of the King Don Felipe quarto…in the honors that His Majesty did to the King our Lord…in San Jeronimo del Real de Madrid on May 4, 1621 , Madrid, by Luis Sánchez, 1621. BNE, V.E./ 153/36, fol. 28v.
[2] Tomas y Valiente, F., The valid ones in the Spanish monarchy of the XVII , Madrid, Institute of Political Studies, 1963, p. 104.
[3] Elliott .H., de la Peña, F.J., and Negredo, F., Memorials and letters of the Count-Duke of Olivares, Madrid, Marcial Pons, 2013, p . 143.