David: I really like this dress, it’s so blue and shiny, it looks real. Do you know who the woman wearing it is?
Marta: She must be a queen because she has two crowns.
David: Yes, it says so on the placard next to the painting, you're very observant! It is Isabella II, who reigned in Spain from 1833 to 1868. She is portrayed wearing this sumptuous dress and delicate jewellery. Next to her is the Royal Crown on a velvet cushion,
Marta: Look, the queen's coat of arms is also there on the table, under the cushion.
David: In paintings, kings were portrayed with symbols of royalty such as the crown, which symbolizes their authority. The sceptre next to it has a ball on the end, which is the orb or globe and represents the territories of the kingdom.
She's very pretty but very serious.
David: Of course, because it's an official portrait. The painter Federico de Madrazo and Kuntz represented her at the age of 20 as a great queen, so that everyone would respect her, just as other artists like Titian or Velázquez did with earlier kings like Charles V or Philip IV.
