3-097-636 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Walia, King of the Visigoths, 1856. Imaginary portrait of Wallia, Walha or Vallia, (c385-418), who was king of the Visigoths from 415 to 418. One of Wallia's most notable achievements was negotiating a foedus (a kind of treaty or agreement) with the Roman emperor Honorius in 416. This agreement allowed the Visigoths to settle in Aquitania, a region in modern-day France, in exchange for military service to Rome. 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 so-called Chronological Series of the Kings of Spain. The project had a clear political purpose: to legitimize the Sovereign's rights during a period characterized by a relentless struggle against female power. A considerable number of contemporary artists, both established and emerging, were involved in the commission, but almost all were associated with José de Madrazo 's circle of patrons.