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Original fileKeizer Ferdinand II te paard (bovenste blad)
About This Work
The Emperor appears centrally on a rearing horse, flanked by the colossal figures of Piety (left, with a flame on her head) and Justice (right, with scales and sword). Above them, the Imperial eagle carries a scepter and orb through a crowded heaven of deities, putti, and scrolls that proclaim the monarch's virtues. The composition uses a complex Baroque arrangement of clouds and architectural elements to elevate the political figure into a cosmic, divine context.
Engraved by Aegidius Sadeler, a pivotal figure in the Prague court, this work reflects the 'Imperial Idea' where the ruler is positioned as a terrestrial mirror of divine celestial order. This Neoplatonic conception of kingship was central to the Habsburg political-religious identity, viewing the Emperor as a bridge between the material world and the divine intellect.
Inscriptions
OMNIBVS VOTIS MERVIT AETERNITATI IVNXIT SVBIEC TVM SCEP TRIS COMPO NES LEGIBVS REFER VNDE SVSCIPES TIBI MILITAT VICTORIS PRAEMIA DIVVS ADEAS SERVVS ABEAS
Translation
By all vows he earned Eternity He joined Subject to the scepters Arranging by laws Restore whence you shall receive For you it serves The rewards of the victor May you approach as a god May you depart as a servant
Connected Texts
Symbola Divina et Humana (1601)
Aegidius Sadeler engraved the plates for this influential emblem book, which established the specific visual vocabulary of Habsburg imperial mysticism used in this portrait.
Provenance & Source
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
paper
height 460 mm x width 623 mm
allegory
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.