The developing relationships between the kings of Spain and the artists who served them is a story that spans almost 200 years of the Habsburg monarchy. From the days of Philip II in the 16th century, when great artists were compelled to adapt their natural style to the king's strongly held opinions about the role of art; to the paradigm of Velázquez as the national exemplar of the nobility of art; to the deployment of paintings in the propaganda machine of the Spanish crown, the symbiotic relationship between monarch and artist helped to shape not only the art of the court, but also of the vital artistic community in Spain's capital city of Madrid.

Presented by Zahira (Soni) Bomford, MFAH senior paintings conservator, in conjunction with the exhibition Portrait of Spain: Masterpieces from the Prado.