The Junta of the Philippines
Encyclopedia
The Junta
of the Philippines or Sessions of the Junta of the Royal Company of the Philippines (Spanish: Junta de la Compaia de Filipinas) is an oil-on-canvas painting, c. 1815 by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya
. The work is the largest Goya produced. It was commissioned that year to commemorate the March 30th annual meeting of the Royal Company of the Philippines
(Real Compañía de Filipinas) attended by 51 shareholders and members, during a period when Goya was severely disillusioned by the formerly exiled Ferdinand VII's return to the Spanish crown, a moved away from enlightenment and ended the hopes of Spanish liberals for a more progressive Spain.
The Junta of the Philippines painting captures a moment when, unexpectedly, Ferdinand decided to attend the meeting of Junta, intending his presence to be an affirmation of his commitment to the empire
. However it had the opposite effect; the Spanish economy and empire lay in ruins after the Peninsular War
, the Royal Company of the Philippines was by that time so unprofitable and ineffective as to be irrelevant, and Ferdinand a king who had learned nothing from the turmoil of the preceding years when he had been over thrown. Ferdinand's return lead to mass emigration and exile amongst the Spanish intellectual class. Although Goya remained until in Spain for a number of years and continued to depict his king, he too fled in exile to France in 1824.
As with his c. 1800 Charles IV of Spain and His Family
, the Spanish king is portrayed in full pomp and finery, albith through barely concealed gritted teeth. Ferdinand is shown in the center middle-ground, seated at a raised table and flanked by trembling associates. To his left sits Miguel de Lardazibal, minister for the Indies
, who was imprisoned the following September and forced into exile by the crown. Before these men, the assembly members are massed in two groups divided left and right by carpet. An expanse of light spills across the floor, spread before the absolute monarch, and lit from a source situated near the viewer of the painting. While the work was painted on commission and intended to hang in the ceremonial hall in which it was set, it highlights in an unflattering manner the centrality and impotent grip of the king. To art historian Albert Boime, the painting shows a monarch who rules not through respect, but through last resort; absolute power and fear.
Junta (Peninsular War)
In the Napoleonic era, junta was the name chosen by several local administrations formed in Spain during the Peninsular War as a patriotic alternative to the official administration toppled by the French invaders...
of the Philippines or Sessions of the Junta of the Royal Company of the Philippines (Spanish: Junta de la Compaia de Filipinas) is an oil-on-canvas painting, c. 1815 by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya
Francisco Goya
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker regarded both as the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. Goya was a court painter to the Spanish Crown, and through his works was both a commentator on and chronicler of his era...
. The work is the largest Goya produced. It was commissioned that year to commemorate the March 30th annual meeting of the Royal Company of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
(Real Compañía de Filipinas) attended by 51 shareholders and members, during a period when Goya was severely disillusioned by the formerly exiled Ferdinand VII's return to the Spanish crown, a moved away from enlightenment and ended the hopes of Spanish liberals for a more progressive Spain.
The Junta of the Philippines painting captures a moment when, unexpectedly, Ferdinand decided to attend the meeting of Junta, intending his presence to be an affirmation of his commitment to the empire
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
. However it had the opposite effect; the Spanish economy and empire lay in ruins after the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
, the Royal Company of the Philippines was by that time so unprofitable and ineffective as to be irrelevant, and Ferdinand a king who had learned nothing from the turmoil of the preceding years when he had been over thrown. Ferdinand's return lead to mass emigration and exile amongst the Spanish intellectual class. Although Goya remained until in Spain for a number of years and continued to depict his king, he too fled in exile to France in 1824.
As with his c. 1800 Charles IV of Spain and His Family
Charles IV of Spain and His Family
Carlos IV of Spain and His Family is an oil on canvas painting by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya completed in the summer of 1800. It features life sized depictions of Charles IV of Spain and his family, ostentatiously dressed in fine costume and jewellery...
, the Spanish king is portrayed in full pomp and finery, albith through barely concealed gritted teeth. Ferdinand is shown in the center middle-ground, seated at a raised table and flanked by trembling associates. To his left sits Miguel de Lardazibal, minister for the Indies
Indies
The Indies is a term that has been used to describe the lands of South and Southeast Asia, occupying all of the present India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and also Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore, the Philippines, East Timor, Malaysia and...
, who was imprisoned the following September and forced into exile by the crown. Before these men, the assembly members are massed in two groups divided left and right by carpet. An expanse of light spills across the floor, spread before the absolute monarch, and lit from a source situated near the viewer of the painting. While the work was painted on commission and intended to hang in the ceremonial hall in which it was set, it highlights in an unflattering manner the centrality and impotent grip of the king. To art historian Albert Boime, the painting shows a monarch who rules not through respect, but through last resort; absolute power and fear.