The Madness of Joanna of Castile

Philip of Habsburg died at Burgos in September 1506, 28 years old, after a short illness. His widow was Joanna, queen of Castile in her own right since her mother Isabella died two years earlier. For months afterwards she kept his coffin near her and had it carried about Castile. That vigil is what the canvas shows. The queen stands beside the body with one hand raised for silence, and behind her a group of courtiers and clergy press her to come away. Withered flowers lie on the floor, and the candles do nearly all the lighting. The room is quiet, which sits oddly with the title the picture has always carried. In 1509 Joanna was shut up in the castle at Tordesillas, on her father's orders and later her son's. She was there 46 years, and died in it in 1555.