Portrait of Ferdinand II of Aragon

Ferdinand II of Aragon (1452–1516) was one of the most powerful rulers of the Renaissance, and pursued his political aims ruthlessly. The portrait bust was probably crafted not long after he was crowned King of Sicily in 1468. His facial expression and the erect carriage of his head persuasively convey the young man’s energy and self-confidence. The bust, expressive of the courtly way of life, is the work of an exacting stylist, and has been attributed to the Dalmatian artist Francesco Laurana. Due to the long period of time it stood in the open, the surface is heavily eroded by water with the result that the inscription on the breast is barely decipherable: FOELIX AETAS DIVI AUG[vsti] (“propitious age of the divine Augustus”).