King Philip II of Spain (1527-1598) (obverse), Apollo in a Quadriga (reverse)

The Latin inscription on this portrait medallion, PHILIPUS REX PRINC HISP ÆT S AN XXVIII, translates to “Philip, King of the principality of Spain, age 28.” The medal was executed along with its pendant, that of Mary Tudor of England (1516-1558), in 1555 to commemorate the marriage of Mary and Philip the previous year. Even apart from his advantageous marriage, 1555 was an important year for Philip: his father, Emperor Charles V (1500–1558), ceded the Netherlands to him, taking a key step in transferring his reign over a vast empire. On this occasion, Philip adopted a personal emblem with the motto also inscribed here: IAM ILLUSTRABIT OMNIA (“Now he will illuminate everything”). The emblem’s accompanying image depicts the sun god Apollo riding his quadriga through the heavens, over a landscape and a map representing the New World. The Smart medal leaves out the map, but retains the image of the new territories that Philip would eventually dominate as king of Spain (1556–1598). At the time, Philip’s emblem was interpreted as a proclamation that his power, like the sun, reached every corner of the globe and would illuminate a shadowy world.