New Spanish or Viceregal School. Late 17th – early 18th century. “Portrait of Queen Mariana of Neuburg Wearing La Peregrina” Oil on canvas. 168 x 111 cm. Important court portrait depicting Queen Mariana of Neuburg (1667–1740), second wife of Charles II of Spain, attired in rich ceremonial dress and adorned with an extraordinary profusion of pearls, symbols of power, dynastic legitimacy, and courtly refinement. The sovereign is shown seated upon a state armchair, delicately holding a flower, in a composition of pronounced representational character intended to affirm royal dignity and the continuity of the House of Austria during the final years of the reign of Charles II. The painting fully belongs to the portrait tradition developed in the Hispanic viceregal territories between the late 17th and early 18th centuries, deeply influenced by Spanish courtly models disseminated from Madrid to New Spain and the Americas. The composition displays clear affinities with official portraits derived from the circle of Juan Carreño de Miranda and from late Baroque Spanish court portraiture, here reinterpreted with the distinctive ornamental and chromatic refinement characteristic of New Spanish sensibility. Particular prominence is given to the Queen’s sumptuous attire, conceived almost as a visual exaltation of courtly luxury. Especially remarkable are the splendid black gown embroidered in gold, the pearlescent flesh tones, the delicate white lace trimmings, and above all the spectacular crimson skirt lavishly decorated with golden motifs, a device of great scenographic effect and clearly characteristic of viceregal painting. The material richness and decorative complexity of the ensemble demonstrate the interest of New Spanish workshops in the meticulous depiction of textiles, jewelry, and sumptuous objects. Of particular interest is the possible allusion to the celebrated pearl known as La Peregrina, one of the most emblematic jewels of the Spanish Crown and a dynastic symbol of the Habsburgs. Historically associated with portraits of Spanish queens since the 16th century, its presence would reinforce the legitimizing and ceremonial nature of the image. In this context, the representation of Mariana of Neuburg transcends the simple court portrait to become a visual affirmation of majesty and monarchical continuity within the overseas territories of the Spanish Empire. The painting also reveals several characteristics typical of high-level New Spanish painting: a taste for lustrous surfaces, the linear elegance of the drawing, the serene frontality of the figure, and the distinctive combination of courtly solemnity and decorative sensibility. All these elements place the work within the production of viceregal portraits likely intended for institutional, noble, or administrative settings linked to the symbolic representation of royal power in the Americas. By virtue of its quality, dimensions, and outstanding visual presence, this portrait constitutes a remarkable example of the dissemination and reinterpretation of Spanish dynastic models within the artistic sphere of New Spain during the transition from the 17th to the 18th century.