Heraldry and the Discourse on Spiritual Nobility : The Trinity Adored by Saints Justa and Rufina, Philip IV, the Queen, and the Count and Countess of Olivares (1627)

Abstract

Political images circulated continuously during the Modern Age and although much remains to be studied – from the perspective of authorship and cultural, political, and eschatological contexts – they enjoyed a broad audience and were clearly understood in their day. These images were very often enhanced by the presence of heraldry and the armorial bearings of kings, noblemen, or ecclesiastical officials. Similarly, religious images were a fitting instrument for symbolically ›conquering‹ the political itineraries of the incipient Modern Age. The image analysed here illustrates the powerful connection between the armorial bearings of a nobleman (the coat of arms of the Count of Olivares), the image of martyred saints Justa and Rufina, the Trinity, and the royal arms of Philip IV. The symbiosis between political and religious imagery in this heraldic print is closely related to forms of Catholic iconography that were deployed as a defence against Protestant iconoclasm. They should be linked to the economy of images and the shaping of a specific intertwined imagery of Catholicism and power. Two iconographic and political phenomena, nobility and religion, were much discussed during the Modern Age, and coats of arms, prints, and iconic imagery related to these topics circulated recurrently throughout all the realms of the Spanish monarchy, inside and outside of Europe.