«I am still the same as I was as Queen»: portraiture, networks, and self-fashioning in the widowhood of Mariana of Neuburg

This article examines the self-representation of Mariana of Neuburg, the last Habsburg queen of Spain, as mediated through words, gifts, actions, and images, highlighting how she used art and material culture as vessels of self-fashioning during her widowhood. In the complicated political climate brought about by the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), Mariana was left with few allies and little power, forcing her to carefully manage her behaviour and her image. By studying Mariana’s self-fashioning, in which her portraiture played a central role, it can be shown that the widowed queen continuously adapted her image to respond to changing circumstances. Mariana’s commitment to fostering female networks of support is also investigated, demonstrating just how crucial female solidarity was to the maintenance of widowed or disenfranchised women.