Spanish school; early 17th century."Cardinal Infante Don Fernando de Austria".Oil on canvas. Re-

Spanish school; early 17th century.
"Cardinal Infante Don Fernando de Austria".
Oil on canvas. Re-drawn.
Provenance: Marquises of Cortina.
Measurements: 72 x 52 cm.
The name that can be read in the upper part of the work indicates that the protagonist of the work is the infante Don Fernando de Austria. In the image he is shown young with an iconography that oscillates between the one known as Savatore Mundi and a paper portrait. Seated in what looks like a friary, a young boy dressed in the characteristic clothes of the cardinals, blesses with one hand and with the other holds the great orb that represents the universality of the Christian religion. The work, which is notable for its sobriety, only depicts the figure of the child on the chair, thus eliminating any superfluous detail that might distort the image of aristocratic and religious authority of the protagonist. However, the gentle features of the face and the blond curls soften the image.
Don Ferdinand of Austria, Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Spain was Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, Cardinal of the Holy Catholic Church, Infante of Spain, Infante of Portugal (until 1640), Archduke of Austria, Archbishop of Toledo (1619-1641) and military commander during the Thirty Years' War. Born at El Escorial near Madrid, Spain in 16091, he was the son of the King of Spain and Portugal, Philip III and II and Margaret of Austria, sister of Emperor Ferdinand II. As his father wished him to pursue an ecclesiastical career, Ferdinand was elevated to the primacy of Spain in 1619, becoming Archbishop of Toledo. The Cardinal-Infante style was a combination of his dignity as Cardinal and his position as royal Prince (Infante in Spanish) of Spain. Ferdinand was never actually ordained a priest, although he received minor orders.