Since a bastard could never be king, Don Juan decided that he must marry one of his half sisters, the legitimate daughter, Maria Theresa, and thus solve the problem of an heir. Even by the incestuous standards of the Hapsburgs, this was beyond the pale. But Don Juan was not to be put off by niceties. He even sent an inquiry to the august theologians at Belgium’s famous Catholic university, Louvain, to see if the pope could grant an exception to divine law and allow the marriage. Nothing came of the idea; in 1665, with the monarchy resting on the slender reed of Carlos II, Don Juan revived it, with his half sister Margarita now in the role of his bride. He had decided to broach the idea when his father invited him for a talk to decide whether the favorite son would be named inquisitor general or archbishop of Toledo, booth powerful positions. Knowing he was dying, Philip had been looking for a place for his strong, quick-minded favorite; and he must have considered himself a generous parent to think of bestowing such prestigious titles on a bastard. Little did he know what Don Juan held in store for him.
Don Juan had come up with a novel way of presenting the idea to his father. He’d give him a painting, a very special painting he’d done specifically for this occasion. In the curious portrait, Saturn, the Roman god of the harvest, watches his son Jupiter (the king of the gods) and his daughter Juno (the protector of marriage) frolicking like lovers [banging].
In mythology Jupiter and Juno were married; even if Jupiter cheated scandalously on his sibling-wife. To make his point even clearer, Don Juan had given his own face to Jupiter, while Philip’s mournful visage sat atop Saturn’s body, and Juno became Margarita. Don Juan must have though the work of art would give the idea of the scandalous union some precedent, along with a subtle message: You and I, Father, are like gods; we are above human laws.
The painting does not survive, but it must have been grotesque. You have to sympathize with Philip as he was presented with the painting. He was a sick, exhausted man and probably expected some loving tribute from a dutiful son. Instead he was handed this piece of pornography, which would have brought back to him the (now much regretted) sexual voraciousness of his youth. After comprehension set in, Philip turned away in disgust. The awkward gesture had gone terribly wrong, and the king never agreed to see Don Juan again.
Source:
Talty, Stephan. “Portobelo.” Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan’s Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe That Ended the Outlaws’ Bloody Reign. New York: Crown Publishing Group (NY), 2007. 123-24. Print.
Further Reading:
John of Austria (the Younger) / Don Juan José de Austria (John Joseph of Austria)
María Teresa de Austria / Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche (Maria Theresa of Spain)
House of Habsburg / House of Austria
Leuven / Louvain / Löwen / Lovanio
Carlos II (Charles II of Spain) / el Hechizado (“The Bewitched”)
Margarita Teresa / Margarete Theresia (Margaret Theresa of Spain)
[Saturnus (Saturn)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_(mythology)
[Jupiter / Iūpiter / Iuppiter (Jupiter)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_(mythology)
[Iūnō (Juno)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_(mythology)
No comments, yet...