A large auto-da-fé took place in Madrid on 30 June 1680 in the Plaza Mayor, presided over by the young Charles II (reigned 1665-1700) and his mother, Mariana of Austria, who are shown here beneath a canopy. Organised by the Inquisition, autos-da-fé were public ceremonies involving prisoners condemned for crimes against religion. Rizi’s canvas is the finest and most detailed depiction of one of these events. In addition, its ordered and compartmentalised composition offers the most telling reflection of the profoundly hierarchical structure of the Spanish court and of close overlap within it between political and religious power.