Painting #C04 - Prince Philip Prospero

 Portrait of Prince Philip Prospero
- Diego Velázquez (c.1599-1660, Spanish)
- oil (129 x 100 cm) in 1659
- Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna)

Philip Prospero (1657–1661) was the first son of Philip IV of Spain and Mariana of Austria to survive infancy. That is, he was the short-lived, elder brother of Carlos II [B03].


"From the mid-16th century until the late 19th or early 20th century, young boys in the Western world wore gowns or dresses until an age that varied between 2 and 8.

"The main reason was toilet training, or the lack thereof ..... Dresses were also easier to make with room for future growth."

The Newborn Christ
- Georges de La Tour (1593-1652, French)
- oil (76 x 91 cm) c.1648
- Museum of Fine Arts (Rennes)

Swaddling is an age-old practice of wrapping infants in blankets or similar cloths so that movement of the limbs is tightly restricted. Swaddling bands were often used to further restrict the infant.