The BBVA Collection is collaborating in this exhibition with the loan of the portrait of Philip II of Spain, attributed to Jooris van der Straeten, a Flemish painter in the circle of Alonso Sánchez Coello who was active as a portraitist in the Spanish court from 1559 to 1573.

The exhibition wishes to underscore the extraordinary and little-known artistic treasures of the Terra Sancta Museum of Jerusalem, mostly comprising donations made by European Catholic monarchs to the different churches in the Holy Land over the course of five hundred years. Among the objects in the collection are chalices, jewellery, codices and sacred vestments, which make up a unique and significant heritage, shown now for the first time in Spain.

In this regard, the portrait of Philip II evinces the close bonds between the Spanish monarchy and the Holy Land and contextualizes a key historical event: 1556, the year of his coronation, also saw the completion of the great dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which had been begun by his father Charles I. From then on, until his death, he made many donations towards the maintenance and protection of holy places.

From the point of view of the visual arts, this canvas painting is a magnificent example of court portraiture, which combines the characteristic solemnity, austerity and simplicity of portraits of the Habsburgs with an execution of exceptional technical quality.