El Cantar de mio Cid, known in English as “The Poem of the Cid,” is the oldest known Spanish epic poem. Staged during the Reconquista, it centers around El Cid, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, his role in the expulsion of the Moors from Spain, as well as the commencement of the unification of Spain through the calculated marriages of both his daughters. Unlike most literary protagonists, the Cid was a real person and so his story is also encountered in non-literary texts in the form of chronicles detailing the activities of kings. They eventually become illustrated in 1498 and over the centuries the Cid’s story gains its own unique visual culture.

The CEMVC’s illustrated collections of the epic span more than five centuries, and allow the viewer to observe how visual representations changed over time, evolving to reflect their historical and philosophical contexts. The following images, for instance, show how the portrayal of Doña Jimena, El Cid’s wife, gradually becomes more conservative. Notice the display of affection in the 1845 edition, or the neckline in the 1885 edition, in contrast with the raised neckline and hand-holding in the Chocolates edition or the modest headdress in the 1910 edition.