The proclamation medals of King Charles II of Spain

Abstract

This paper examines the representation of the monarch Charles II of Spain (1661–1700) through his proclamation medals, produced for the official proclamation and oath ceremonies of 1666 in Seville, Granada, and the Spanish Netherlands. While traditional historiography interpreted this reign through a lens of decline, recent critical reassessments have shed new light on the period. In art history, however, the numismatic production associated with Charles II remains a largely underexplored field. This article seeks to fill that gap through a formal and iconographic analysis that underscores the significance of these pieces in the construction and dissemination of royal power. Unlike court portraits, the medal — portable, handleable, and easily reproducible — functioned as a central element of the apparatus surrounding proclamations and oath ceremonies, acting as a "substitute portrait" capable of making the sovereign's figure materially present before his subjects. Drawing on Kantorowicz's theory of the king's two bodies, the paper concludes that these pieces were not mere commemorative objects but tools of political propaganda that ensured the ubiquity and legitimacy of Charles II of Spain, while also safeguarding the continuity of the monarchical institution over time.