Prince Balthasar Carlos (d.1646) (oil on canvas)

rince Baltasar Carlos was the only and cherished son of Philip IV of Spain by his first marriage, to Elisabeth of France (Isabel de Borbón). He was painted at every stage of his short life and in a variety of guises by Velázquez, but only twice as a sportsman, at the age of six, in this painting and that in the Prado. He is shown standing in uncultivated hunting terrain, which has been identified as that of the Sierra de Guadarrama. One of the most remarkable things about this portrait is its simplicity. The dress is plain, the guns functional, and there are no boastful mounds of game. This was because hunting was an exclusively noble activity, and the Torre de la Parada was a private hunting lodge, to which only the highest rank were admitted. It is not known who acquired the picture for Ickworth, but it was possibly bought by Frederick William, 5th Earl and 1st Marquess of Bristol (1769-1859).