This is the young Charles V, born in 1500. Charles is named after his great-grandfather, the Burgundian Duke Charles the Bold. Here he must be about twenty years old. Note the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece, which we also saw around the neck of Louis de Gruuthuse.
Five years earlier, on 18 April 1515, 'Charles of Habsburg' as he was called, made his Joyous Entry through the streets of Bruges. It was a spectacular affair with re-enacted scenes, temporary constructions and much revelry. On this occasion, the city called on the young monarch to help it, on its path towards a new heyday.
In the Burgundian Period, people loved organising spectacles and other, more lasting displays of pomp. The court, city council, wealthy associations such as the guilds and townsmen all got involved. There are examples in this room, including the stained-glass windows from the chapel of the Bruges painters and stained-glass artists in Zilverstraat, and the statue of Saint Michael, which was made for the swordsmen's guild of the Hallebardiers.
Powerful individuals had their portraits and statues produced by the very best painters and sculptors, and formal portraits were subsequently distributed. This bust of Charles V is a good illustration. There are several copies of this bust, in different cities, all slightly different. The original may have been designed by the German artist Conrad Meit. Meit, who was based in Mechelen, was a court artist for Charles' aunt and governess, Margaret of Austria.
The Bruges version has been restored several times. The terracotta head is the only remaining 16th-century piece. When the Archaeological Society of Bruges received the statue in 1882, everyone thought it represented the Burgundian Duke Philip the Fair. But he was Charles' father.