From Royal Representation to Scientific Aspiration: Charles V’s Columnar Device and the Dynamics of Appropriation (16th-18th Centuries)

Abstract

This contribution deals with the Nachleben of the famous columnar device of emperor Charles V (1500-1558). Until recently, research on royal representations mainly focused on art forms like portraits or literary panegyrics. Nevertheless, the more abstract imagery of devices constituted the most expanded type of the visualization of power. Their polysemic nature made them into dynamic signs, who were subjected to a continuous process of appropriation and reinterpretation. Particular symbolism was constantly merged with other (textual) signifiers and iconographic elements, creating different meanings in different contexts. I will argue that this process of appropriation turned Charles’ device into a dynamic symbol serving the agenda of various groups in society, rather than the static representation of rulership. The possibility to detach from the individual connotation ensured that it remained a potent iconographic theme throughout the studied period. The iconographic production can be grouped into three ‘traditions’: the use of the device in the political field – by successors or political rivals − the application as a ‘sacral emblem’, and the discourse of seventeenth century science. Nevertheless, these various interpretations were all united by the same expression of an essential theme deeply rooted in early modern culture: transgressing boundaries and the search for divine truth.