Philip I, the Handsome, Conferring the Order of the Golden Fleece on his Son Charles of Luxembourg (Philippe Ier le Beau, conférant à son fils Charles de Luxembourg le titre de Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Toison d'Or)

For the fiftieth anniversary of Belgian independence, de Vriendt and other artists drew on events from the glorious past to forge a distinctive heritage and cultural identity for the fledgling nation. Here de Vriendt evokes the splendor of chivalric rites, setting a precedent of protocol for the new monarchy. Amid the lavish trappings of the princely household, Philip the Handsome (1478–1506) theatrically bestows the Order of the Golden Fleece on his one-year-old son, Charles (1500–1558), who later became Europe’s most powerful ruler as the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The order was founded in Bruges in 1430 to defend Roman Catholicism and strengthen bonds of allegiance and brotherhood among knights. In addition to his virtuoso rendering of the court’s embroidered and bejeweled finery, de Vriendt achieves a sensitivity of facial expression—particularly in the seemingly confused face of the infant Charles.