Luis Paret y Alcázar: King Charles III of Spain dining before the Court (1775)

(Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain)

A painting by the Spanish artist Luis Paret y Alcázar (1746-1799). The painting shows a daily ritual of King Charles III of Spain (1716-1788). the king is having diner in the presence of the royal ministers, ambassadors, servants and his favorite hunting dogs (the king is offered a goblet by a servant on bended knee). The room itself is richly decorated with tapestries on which mythological stories a visible which 'reflect the king’s intimate thoughts'. From left to right these are: patriotism (the sacrifice of Iphigenia), Love (Mercury and Herse), hunting and military honor (Diana with a hunting Dog and Venus in Vulcan’s Forge). Painting from 1775.