Page 126 - El arte del poder

28-29
Burgonet and shield of Philip II
Milan, c. 1560-1565
Steel, gold, silver
[28] Burgonet: height 28 cm; width 21 cm; depth 37.5 cm; weight 1745 g [29] Shield: diameter 61 cm; height 7.5 cm; weight 4630 g Patrimonio Nacional. Madrid, Real Armería, cat. D.3 and D.4
bibliography: Abadía 1793, pp. 51, 59; Martínez del Romero 1849, pp. 77-78, 177-178, nos. 1694, 2412; Valencia de Don Juan 1898, pp. 135-137, nos. D.3, D.4, illus. XIX; Rodríguez López 2002, pp. 261- 262, fig. 14; Godoy 2003, pp. 160-163, 438-441, no. 29
The history of Rome was one of the chief sources of inspiration in the Renaissance and a recurring theme in the decoration of parade arms for the countless motifs it provided. One of the most popular was the Punic Wars, in which Romans and Carthaginians vied for control of the Mediterranean between 263 and 146 BC. A parallel could be easily drawn between this theme and the African policy of Charles V, who, as the heir of Rome, had substituted the Turkish Empire for the Carthaginians in his own struggle in the Mediterranean. The shield belonging to this set depicts a bloody combat at the gates of Carthage (“CARTAGINE”) between Romans, identified by a standard bearing the motto “SPQR” (Senatus Populusque Romanus), and Carthaginians, whose standard displays a dragon. The combat unfolds on the burgonet, which contains architectural references to the city. The fierceness of the battle waged at Carthage’s gates may be an allusion to the end of the third and last Punic War (149-146 BC) and the destruction of the city following the defeat dealt by Publius Cornelius Scipio
Emilianus in 146 BC. This famous Roman general was an adoptive grandson of Scipio Africanus, to whom Emperor Charles V had also been likened.
The historical significance of the field of the shield is further emphasized on the border by four medallions containing prominent figures from Roman history, identified by inscriptions. At each end of the vertical axis of the composition is a male figure linked to the founding of Rome: Numa Pompilius (“NVMMA POMPILIVS”), successor of Romulus and second legendary king of Rome about 715-673 BC; and Marcus Furius Camilus (“FVRIVS CAMILLVS”), a Roman general (around 435-365 BC) regarded as the second founder of Rome. The horizontal axis features two female figures with military connotations: Artemisa I (“ARTEMISIA REG[INA]”), queen of Halicarnassus; and the legendary Camilla (“REG[INA] CAMILLA”), daughter of the king of the Volscians, who was well versed in warfare. Her myth is told in the Aeneid by Livy (59 BC-17 AD).
This rich and exquisite set of parade arms is also an example of the close links between armorers and the work of other artists, such as painters and engravers, from whose repertories they drew when designing arms of this quality. As Godoy states (2003), in order to compose the combat scenes on the burgonet and shield, the armorer borrowed from various contemporary engravings by different artists, from which some of the human figures are taken. One of his sources was the painter Giulio Romano (1499-1546). It should be noted that Giulio Romano was also involved in designing two other works shown in the exhibition: the tapestry of the meeting of Scipio and Hannibal (cat. 38), another episode from the Punic Wars, and the shield of the Apotheosis of Charles V (cat. 39 and 40), in which the emperor may be likened to a new Scipio. a.s.c.
armors as works of art and the image of power 125