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Isabella was born on April 22, 1451 in Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Ávila, to John II of Castile and Isabel of Portugal. While a struggle among relatives for the Castilian throne ensued, Isabella was crowned as Queen of Castile and Leon in 1474. Together with her husband, Ferdinand of Aragon, they became known as the Catholic Monarchs. They had five children: Isabella, Juan, Juana, Maria, and Catalina.

The queen is most remembered in history as the sponsor of Christopher Columbus’s expedition to the Indies in 1492. After he discovered the New World, Spain expanded its power through exploration and colonization, thus demonstrating their growing power to the rest of the world.

The artworks in this exhibition comprise of a variety of subjects, styles, and mediums. As a devout Catholic, Isabella commissioned, owned, or appeared in  religious art pieces that depict the lives of the Virgin Mary and Christ. She was known to have interest in Flemish art, as she had several artists from the Netherlands in her court, including Juan de Flandes and Michel Sittow. Her architectural and decor taste incorporated Gothic, Renaissance, Castilian, and Moorish styles, which would later be named after her, the Isabelline style. 

While she is considered to be one of the most accomplished queens in history, this exhibition aims to emphasize other aspects of Isabella’s life, particularly the combined role of faith and family. 

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Queen Isabella I of Spain, Queen of Castile (1451-1504)

Oil on panel  (37.5 x 26.9 x 0.5 cm)

Artist unknown; Spanish School, 15th century

c.1470-1520

This is a portrait of Queen Isabella. Although it is officially unknown, she most likely had commissioned this artwork herself. This particular portrait was recorded to have been in the Royal Collection since the reign of King Henry III of England. Queen Isabella is depicted with a stern expression while wearing a gold dress, white skull-cap, and a gold necklace. While she appears rather modest in front of a plain blue background, the lavish details of her dress and jewelry exudes wealth and status. Additionally, Queen Isabella holds a book in both hands. The book is likely to be a religious text, thus displaying her devout Catholic faith.

         Currently located in the Hampton Court Palace, Greater London

Bibliography: Spanish School. (c.1470-1520). Queen Isabella I of Spain, Queen of Castile. [Oil on panel]. Retrieved from https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/403445/queen-isabella-i-of-spain-queen-of-castille-1451-1504

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Queen Isabella I of Castile

Oil on Panel  (21 x 13.3 cm.)

Artist unknown

c.1490

Similar to the first portrait, Queen Isabella is depicted wearing the same jewelry and style of dress and holding a book in her hand. Although she has a similar serious expression, this particular painting shows Isabella at a slightly younger age and with a brighter complexion. Scholars speculated that this painting was sent to potential husbands during her marriage negotiations. There was another version of this type of portrait in the Capesthorne Collection until it was sold in the 1990s and its current location is still unknown.

         Currently located in Museo del Prado, Madrid

Bibliography: unknown. (c.1490). Queen Isabella I of Castile [Oil on panel]. Retrieved from https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/isabel-la-catolica/dd9275b0-8d37-46da-9049-22f2ef0791df

Background information from: https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/403445/queen-isabella-i-of-spain-queen-of-castille-1451-1504

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The Marriage Feast at Cana

Oil on wood (21 x 15.9 cm)

Juan de Flandes

c.1500–1504

During the late 1490s, Queen Isabella commissioned forty-seven small panels representing the lives of the Virgin Mary and Christ. There were at least three artists involved in this project, including two known artists in Isabella’s court: Juan de Flandes and Michel Sittow. This panel by Juan de Flandes depicts the biblical scene in which Christ performed his first miracle by turning water into wine at a wedding feast. By commissioning this type of artwork, Isabella exhibits her devotion to her faith. The abundance of Christian artworks demonstrate the importance of religion during this time period. 

          Currently located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

Bibliography: Flandes, Juan De. (c.1500-1504). The Marriage Feast at Cana [Oil on wood]. Retrieved from https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436801 

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Assumption of the Virgin

Oil on panel (21 x 16 cm)

Michel Sittow

c.1500

This painting is another panel from the polyptych commissioned by Isabella. The panels were meant for private devotional use by the queen. As a part of the polyptych depicting the lives of Christ and Mary, this painting continues the theme by depicting the moment of Mary is being taken to Heaven after the end of her earthly life. Evidently, Isabella demonstrated her devotion to her Catholic faith by commissioning these panels. 

          Currently located in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Bibliography: Sittow, Michel. (c.1500). Assumption of Virgin [Oil on panel]. Retrieved from https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.50280.html

Background information from http://www.patrimonionacional.es/colecciones-reales/colecciones/pintura/poliptico-de-isabel-la-catolica

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The Virgin of the Reyes Católicos

Mixed method on panel (123 x 112 cm.)

Maestro de la Virgen de los Reyes Católicos

c.1491-1493

This painting depicts the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child on her lap and surrounded by Queen Isabella, King Ferdinand, Prince Juan, Princess Isabella, Saint Thomas, Saint Dominic, a Friar, and an unidentified male figure. It is unknown if Queen Isabella had commissioned or came across this painting, however, as a devout Catholic, Isabella would have appreciated this type of artwork. The painting contains exquisite details, from the designs on the clothes to the landscape seen through the windows. A sense of humility and importance are both displayed in this painting as Isabella and her family are kneeling below the holy figures and, since they are royalty, have the privilege of being in the presence of Mary and Christ.  

          Currently located in Monastery of Santo Tomás, Avila

Bibliography: Meastro. (c.1491-1493). The Virgin of the Reyes Católicos [Mixed method on panel]. Retrieved from https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-virgin-of-the-reyes-catolicos/6be8122a-7cc8-4438-b16d-15d1a03be0eb?searchid=d18676ae-38a2-127c-73fa-8ef0c53a643e 

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The Triumph of Fame 

Wool, silk  (359.4 x 335.3 cm)

Artist unknown

c.1502–1504

This artwork, created in Flanders, was based on the poem The Triumphs by Petrarch. The tapestry belonged in a set of six, five of which are lost, “representing the consecutive triumphs of Love, of Chastity over Love, of Death over Chastity, of Fame over Death, of Time over Fame, and of Religion over Time.” The figure of Fame is depicted standing over the Fates. Queen Isabella purchased this tapestry, or one identical to it, in 1504. This is different from other overtly Christian artworks associated with Isabella; however the theme of triumph and its Christian context mirror the successes of the Catholic queen.

          Currently located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

Bibliography: Unknown artist. (c.1502-1504). The Triumph of Fame [Wool and silk]. Retrieved from https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/230011

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Royal Arms of the Catholic Kings

Iron (55.9 x 43.2 cm.)

Artist unknown

c.1493-1495

This plaque was originally from the monastery of San Juan de los Reyes, which was commissioned by Queen Isabella and her husband King Ferdinand in Toledo, Spain. It was later purchased by a Spanish painter and museum director named José Villegas Cordero. In 1895, Isabella Stewart Gardner purchased the artwork from Cordero in Rome. This artwork is a metal version of the arms of the monarchs of Spain that was created after they had successfully conquered Granada in 1492, thus ending all Islamic rule in the Iberian peninsula, a moment that demonstrated the power of Isabella the Catholic (and Ferdinand). 

          Currently located in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

Bibliography: unknown artist. (c.1493-1495). Royal Arms of the Catholic Kings [Oil on wood]. Retrieved from https://www.gardnermuseum.org/experience/collection/12820

Color photographs taken at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

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Royal Chapel of Granada (Capilla Real de Granada)

Isabelline-style building; gargoyles, large windows, the walls rest on buttresses ended by flowery pinnacle crowned by open-work sills and cresting

Enrique Egas (designer)

Commissioned in 1504, built between 1505-1517

Isabella and Ferdinand commissioned the royal chapel as their burial site. They chose the city of Granada because they considered its conquest as their greatest achievement of their reign. The building contains a combination of Gothic and Renaissance styles. It is decorated with paintings, relics, books, and tapestries that belonged to the monarchs. The chapel also houses their remains, as well as the tombs of their daughter, Juana, and her husband, Philip.

          Currently located in Granada, Spain

Bibliography: Egas, Enrique. (1505-1517). Royal Chapel of Granada. Retrieved from http://capillarealgranada.com/en/