Stage in Memory of Isabella Clara Eugenia, plate 24 from Casperius Gevartius, Pompa Introitus Honori Serenissimi Principis Ferdinandi (Triumphal Entry of the Most Serene and Honorable Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand)

On the occasion of Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand’s triumphal entry into Antwerp in 1635, Peter Paul Rubens designed temporary arches and stages to decorate his procession route through the city. Triumphal processions of this kind were common forms of political theater, enacted to consolidate the power of a regent or monarch. The stage in memory of Isabella Clara Eugenia (2015.11) served to reinforce the dynastic transfer of authority from Ferdinand’s predecessor, who had governed the southern Netherlands from 1598 until the time of her death in 1633. The central image of the stage in her honor, enlarged in the accompanying print (2015.12), shows Ferdinand’s appointment by Philip IV, while the flanking columns represent effects of good government—public health and public safety.