Allegory on the Abdication of Emperor Charles v in Brussels, Frans Francken (II), c. 1630 - c. 1640

oil on panel, h 134cm × w 172cm More details

Charles V is enthroned at centre. Battle weary and wracked by illness, in 1555 he divided up his empire. He gave his brother Ferdinand (left of the throne) the Holy Roman Empire, while his son Phillip (at the right) became King of Spain and Lord of the Netherlands. The three figures in the right foreground personify the continents America, Africa and Asia over which Charles’s vast empire also stretched. Neptune (left) symbolizes his power at sea.