Portrait of Philip IV
1604
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1604
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Portrait of Philip IV is a 1604 by Paulus Pontius, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This black-and-white portrait shows a serious-looking man in fancy clothes. He’s wearing a high collar, a chain of medals, and a dark coat with buttons down the front. The background looks like a stone arch, and his face is lit from the side, making shadows on his cheek. The artist carved deep lines into the metal plate to create the image—this is called etching. The text at the bottom names him as Philip IV, but the artist’s signature is in the corner. Look up Paulus Pontius next to see how he made other portraits like this.
