The Gonzaga Family in Adoration of the Holy Trinity
The canvas portrays Vincenzo I and his wife Eleonora de' Medici near images of the duke's parents, Guglielmo Gonzaga and Eleonore of Austria.The Archduchess was most devoted to the Society (her personal confessor was a Jesuit) and promoted the construction of the Mantuan church of the Trinity, for which the Rubens cycle was created.[1]: 84 In the period of Napoleonic looting, the Church of the Holy Trinity was sacked and the Flemish paintings were removed by the commissioner Etienne-Marie Siauve.The painting depicts an open-air scene in a gallery with, on the side, two rows of richly historiated, twisted columns and a balustrade in perspective.[2] The choice of this resemblance is not casual, but is an explicit homage to the Spanish crown to reiterate the loyalty of the Gonzagas to the Hapsburg monarchy.The family also wears clothes of Spanish style, such as the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece worn by the Duke—an important honor conferred by the Hapsburgs as heirs of the Dukes of Burgundy.Their twisted design recalls those of the legendary Temple of Solomon, which according to ancient belief were brought to Rome and used to build the Basilica of Saint Peter.This compositional choice has a single reason, it is a meditation in line with the severe dictates of the Council of Trent for religious depictions.The branch is a tribute to the mother of the Duke and is linked to the intended location of the painting: the ivy appears, in the enterprise of the Archduchess of the Hapsburgs, as a symbol of conjugal devotion (since this plant can't live if separated from the tree to which it is attached).The tribute to the deceased mother of the Duke adds, perhaps, to the idea that her female virtues are an example to all the women of the Gonzaga family, united in adoration.
Peter Paul RubensDucal PalaceMantuaVincenzo I GonzagatriptychTransfigurationNapoleonic WarsEleonora de' MediciGuglielmo GonzagaEleonore of AustriahalberdiersSociety of JesusErcole GonzagaArchduchess Eleanor of Austriadivine TrinityNapoleonic lootingDucal Palace of MantuaFrancesco GonzagaFerdinando GonzagaVincenzo II GonzagaMargheritaEleonora GonzagaSwiss guardsPompeo LeoniEl EscorialCarlo VPhilip II of SpainOrder of the Golden FleeceThe Vendramin Family, Venerating a Relic of the True CrossTitianPaolo VeroneseTintorettoRaphaelBasilica of Saint PeterCouncil of TrentNationalmuseumRoyal Library of BelgiumThe Descent from the CrossLeda and the SwanThe DepositionSelf-Portrait in a Circle of Friends from MantuaEquestrian Portrait of the Duke of LermaPortrait of a Young WomanHercules and OmphaleHeraclitus and DemocritusVirgin and ChildThe Fall of PhaetonThe Baptism of ChristThe CircumcisionPortrait of Marchesa Brigida Spinola-DoriaPortrait of Maria di Antonio SerraPortrait of a Noblewoman with an AttendantPortrait of Giovanni Carlo Doria on HorsebackSaint Gregory with SaintsMadonna della VallicellaSusanna and the EldersThe Head of Saint John the Baptist Presented to SalomeAdoration of the MagiSamson and DelilahHoneysuckle BowerCoronation of the VirginJuno and ArgusRaising of the CrossConversion of Saint PaulMassacre of the InnocentsVenus FrigidaPrometheus BoundThe Four PhilosophersAntwerp ResurrectionVisitationRoman CharityEcce HomoDescent from the CrossSaint Teresa of Ávila's Vision of the Holy SpiritThe Tribute MoneyThe Defeat of SennacheribThe Four ContinentsChrist Giving the Keys to Saint PeterPortrait of a CommanderThe Crowning of the Virtuous HeroThe Incredulity of Saint ThomasThe Death of AdonisVenus and AdonisSt SebastianThe Virgin Mary and Saint Francis Saving the World from Christ's AngerMadonna della CestaIxion, King of the Lapiths, Deceived by Juno, Who He Wished to SeduceDaniel in the Lions' DenBacchanaliaA Statue of CeresThe Hippopotamus and Crocodile HuntThe Tiger HuntTheodosius and Saint AmbroseThe Wild Boar HuntFlorence ResurrectionThe Virgin and Child Surrounded by the Holy InnocentsErichthonius Discovered by the Daughters of CecropsThe Wolf and Fox HuntThe Lion and Leopard HuntRomulus and RemusMiracles of St. Francis XavierSaint Stephen TriptychTwo Women with a CandleThe Meeting Between Abraham and MelchizedekChrist and the Penitent SinnersMars and Rhea SilviaThe Garden of Eden with the Fall of ManThe Great Last JudgementA Bearded ManThe Five SensesTwo SatyrsMedusaThe Rape of the Daughters of LeucippusChrist Triumphant over Sin and DeathThe Prodigal SonThe Union of Earth and WaterTigress with Her CubsMucius Scaevola before Lars PorsennaFeast in the House of Simon the PhariseeSt Mary Magdalene in EcstasyThe Small Last JudgementThe Fall of the DamnedLandscape with Philemon and BaucisPortrait of a Young Man in ArmorSaint George and the DragonPerseus Freeing Andromeda