An Image of the Valido
Juan Pantoja de la Cruz, King Philip III of Spain, 1601, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Don Juan Carreno de Miranda, Portrait of the Duke of Lerma, 17th century, Hospital Tavera, Toledo, Spain.
As you can see from these portraits of King Philip III and his valido, the Duke of Lerma, there are a number of similarities. Both are in possession of the baton of justice and a sword, while Philip points out to the kingdom and the world the Duke of Lerma places a hand on his sword signifying he is ready to fight for Spain and most likely his job. The portraits show the amount of influence that the Duke of Lerma holds in court my the sheer fact that the portrayal of wealth and power is nearly identical in each painting.