3-097-618 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Witerico, King of the Visigoths, c1859. Imaginary portrait of Witeric (c570-610) who succeeded Liuva II as king of the Visigoths, who in turn had succeeded Reccared. reigned from 603 to 610. Supported by the Arians, he led a conspiracy against his predecessor, whom he deposed and murdered. The Visigothic king's warrior spirit is represented by a figure who, cloaked and brandishing his sword, fiercely marches toward the viewer across a rocky landscape. In 1847, José de Madrazo, as director of the Royal Museum, was commissioned by Isabella II to create an iconographic genealogy of all her royal ancestors. The project had a clear political purpose: to legitimize the Sovereign's rights during a period characterized by a relentless struggle against female power. This work forms part of the Chronological Series of the Kings of Spain.