At the age of 24 he was appointed painter to King Philip IV.
Four years later he was promoted to chamber painter, the most important position among court painters.

Velázquez
painter of princes and jesters

The first and last portrait of the King painted by the man who was his court painter since 1623 ...

The first portrait, from 1623, is only known to us thanks to X-rays,
because five years later Velázquez repainted it completely:
according to the X-rays, the first portrait was very natural,
a physiognomy without nobility.
The majestic repainted portrait shows, on the contrary, a firm face,
an impression of power and serenity.
(We know however that the King and the court were enthused by the first portrait:
it was not at his request that Velázquez modified it, but rather to conform
to his own vision of royal majesty, not out of primal flattery, but rather out of idealism,
one might say.)
Diego Velázquez
Felipe IV, de cuerpo entero y vestido de negro
Philip IV, full length and dressed in black
Philippe IV, de pied et vêtu de noir
hecho en 1623, repintado en 1628
executed in 1623, reworked in 1628
exécuté en 1623, repeint en 1628
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

The last portrait of the King
The king has no living male heir, is melancholy,
preoccupied with death and his salvation;
he reproaches himself for his conduct, his sins, the decline of the kingdom,
and this exhaustion of an inbred race which goes to decay
…
However, Velázquez, certainly well aware of these vicissitudes,
does not want to see any of this: in this final portrait, he once again
idealizes his king, hiding his physical and moral infirmities, his wrinkles
and his old age.
…
During the remaining eight years of his life, Velázquez no longer
painted the king, except for the reflection in Las Meninas.
He let his assistants and other painters paint portraits of the ageing king
in accordance with royal taste, but not with his own, as a sign
of his displeasure and disillusionment with the pre-eminence
of the human over the majestic.
Diego Velázquez
Felipe IV
Philip IV
Philippe IV
1653
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

Next to the king, Velázquez painted the royal family ...
the King's first wife, Elisabeth,
and the second Queen, Maria Anna, stilted and austere in her vertugadin;
the infant Balthazar Charles, the feeble hope of the dynasty, but who will die at the age of 17,
and his half-brother Philipp Prospero, of a dull sadness, the infant will die at the age of four;
the Infanta Maria Theresa
and the pretty infanta Marguerite with her plump cheeks and angelic air.

Wearing a jacket with embroidered stars and a gold-embroidered skirt
with her arms and initials ...
…
Elisabeth of France or Isabella of Bourbon, Queen consort of Spain.
French princess, daughter of King Henry IV of France and his second wife,
the Italian Maria de' Medici.
Elizabeth, while still a child, came to Spain to marry the man who was to
become Philip IV.
The new Spanish queen had to endure her husband’s infidelities,
and see illegitimate children born while she suffered continuous
miscarriages and premature deaths of her daughters.
It was at the end of her life that Elizabeth of Bourbon managed to win
her husband's affection. It was, however, too late.
On October 6, 1644, after suffering a new abortion, the queen died.
Diego Velázquez
La reina Isabel de Borbón, a caballo
Queen Elisabeth of France on Horseback
la Reine Isabelle de Bourbon à Cheval
1635
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

Niece and wife of Philip IV of Spain,
elegant and extravagantly dressed in the height of contemporary fashion,
but with a sulky expression;
suffered from "boredom, loneliness, home-sickness and illness
in consequence of her never ending pregnancies which transformed
the lively girl into an willful, mulish women
…
Mariana of Austria or Maria Anna, Queen consort of Spain.
The daughter of German Emperor Ferdinand III and Doña María,
daughter of the sister of Philip IV, King of Spain.
In 1649, 14-year-old Marie-Anne married her uncle, 30 years her senior.
Diego Velázquez
La reina doña Mariana de Austria
Queen Mariana of Austria
La Reine Marianne d'Autriche
1652-1653
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

In the uniform of a captain-general, a commander's baton and a sword.
The dwarf holds an apple and a rattle, to contrast with the heir to the most
powerful monarchy in Europe, who is shown as already in military training
and not needing these usual children's attributes.
…
Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias.
Fifth son of Philip IV and Isabella of Bourbon.
At the time of birth he was the only survivor of the royal offspring.
On October 9, 1646, smallpox was fulminant.
The death of the prince left the monarchy without a direct male heir.
Philip IV was obliged to remarry.
Diego Velázquez
El príncipe Baltasar Carlos con un enano
Prince Balthasar Charles with a Dwarf
Le Prince Balthazar Carlos avec un nain
1631
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Compassion where one would expect majesty ...
a three-year-old prince,
delicate and fragile,
the infant's health is precarious as indicated by the amulets and relicson his
garments
a small white dog whose gaze accentuates the melancholy of the scene
the pale background suggests a dark fate: the little prince died at the age of four
…
Philip Prospero, Prince of Asturias.
The birth of Prince revives hope for the Spanish crown.
Since the death of Prince Balthasar Charles, an heir to the throne is missing.
The crown's hopes were dashed in 1661, when the little prince died,
probably of an epileptic seizure, a few days before the birth of the future Charles II.
Diego Velázquez
El príncipe Felipe Próspero o El infante Felipe Próspero
Portrait of Prince Philip Prospero
Le Prince Philippe Prosper ou L'Infant Philippe Prosper
1659
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

A majestic pose ...
this portrait is one of the pictures sent to the courts of Vienna, Paris and Brussels
in 1653 when possible matches were being considered for her.
…
Maria Theresa of Spain.
Infanta of Spain and Archduchess of Austria and by marriage Queen of France.
Daughter of King Philip IV of Spain and Elisabeth de France, who died
when Maria Theresa was six years old.
Her marriage in 1660 to King Louis XIV, her double first cousin, was made
with the purpose of ending the lengthy war between France and Spain.
Diego Velázquez
La infanta María Teresa de España, o La infanta María Teresa a los catorce años
The infanta Maria Theresa of Spain or The infanta Maria Theresa aged 14
L'infante Marie-Thérèse d'Espagne, ou L'infante Marie Thérèse à quatorze ans
1652-1653
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

The princess of Las Meninas...
at the age of five, Infanta Margarita in a white Dress.
One of the canvases sent for the infanta's future husband, Leopold I of Habsburg.
Painted slightly after Las Meninas, which shows Margaret Theresa in a similar
white dress.
…
Margaret Theresa of Spain.
The daughter of King Philip IV of Spain born from his second marriage with
his niece Mariana of Austria.
In October 1662, the Imperial ambassador in the Spanish Kingdom,
began one of his main diplomatic assignments: the celebration of the marriage
between the Infanta and the Emperor Leopold I, her maternal uncle and paternal
cousin.
On 25 April 1666, the marriage by proxy was celebrated in Madrid.
On 28 April Margaret traveled from Madrid to Vienna.
Margaret Theresa is the central figure in the famous Las Meninas by Velázquez.
Diego Velázquez
La infanta Margarita en blanco
Infanta Margareta in a White Dress
L’Infante Marguerite en robe blanche
1656
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegaler, Vienna

Surrounded by bridesmaids, a widow, an aposentador, a guardadamas,
a dwarf, an Italian boy and a Spanish mastiff, the
Infanta Margaret Theresa
5 years old, dressed in a guardainfante under the gray and cream basquiña.
Doña Isabel de Velasco bowing and Doña María Agustina Sarmiento de
Sotomayor offering water in a búcaro, a small porous and perfumed clay
vessel that refreshed the water.
Velázquez
the painter is standing in front of a large canvas with his palette and brush
in his hands and the valet's key at his waist.
a mirror
reflects King Philip IV and Queen Mariana being painted by Velázquez
Diego Velázquez
Las Meninas
Les Ménines
1656-1657
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

Velázquez's jesters are the artist's documentation on some of the residents of the King Felipe IV.
A curious troop of jesters, dwars or psychic disabled, whose main function in court was to distract the boredom monarchs and the
routine of government affairs.
Al parecer, estos bufones eran muy queridos por la familia real y por el propio Velázquez, que los retrataba a todos con gran
dignidad.
The same dignity with which he portrayed philosophers, mythological gods, historical figures and even the royal family.

He was pampered at court.
As the king's jester, he enjoyed many privileges, in addition to being treated
as a "Don", he received a salary, not to mention occasional gifts.
His smile between hallway and beatific and the pumpkins he has next
to himself on the ground are clear indications of mental retardation
that affected this jester.
Diego Velázquez
El bufón "Calabacillas", llamado erróneamente "Bobo de Coria“
The Buffoon Calabacillas
Le Bouffon Calabacillas ou Le Bouffon aux calebasses
1635-1639
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

Dwarf and jester in the service of Prince Balthasar Charles.
his green cloth suit, his red and gold coat, fine Brussels lace,
are worthy of a princely garment.
... neither a smile, nor any buffoonery,
Immobile, scrutinizing and impenetrable,
his dark eyes are fixed on the spectator.
Diego Velázquez
El bufón el Primo,​ anteriormente conocido como El bufón don Sebastián de Morra
The Buffoon El Primo
Le Bouffon El Primo
1644
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

The braggart Don Cristóbal de Castañeda y Pernía, better known as Barbarossa…
dressed in red and aggressive,
malicious and laughable,
arrogant and somewhat grotesque,
sword in hand and ready to attack,
but provided with a coarse body …
in short, totally contrary to the male beauty canons of the time.
Diego Velázquez
El bufón "Barbarroja", don Cristóbal de Castañeda y Pernia
The Buffoon Barbarroja, Cristóbal de Castañeda y Pernia
Bouffon Barbarroja, Cristóbal de Castañeda y Pernia
1633
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

We do not know what the real name of this jester of Philip IV was.
Don Juan of Austria was probably an ironic nickname, in accordance
with the court custom of sometimes giving the name of Grande
to the little people employed at the Palace.
The jester wears the splendid costume of a prince of royal blood,
which is probably what this jester wore at court,
where he must have amused the courtiers with his delusions of grandeur.
The comedy arises from the contrast between,
on the one hand, the puny aspect of the character,
his thin legs, which have something of the aspect of a disarticulated puppet,
and his fearful and slippery expression,
and, on the other hand, the belligerent atmosphere that surrounds him.
Diego Velázquez
El bufón llamado don Juan de Austria
The Buffoon Juan de Austria
Le bouffon Juan de Austria
1632
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

Don Diego de Acedo...
vain, womanizer and with a reputation of conqueror,
dwarf, court jester and functionary of Felipe IV.,
melancholic and intelligent look, elegantly dressed like a gentleman,
all in black, solemn.
Grand lodging master and concierge of the Royal Palace.
It is believed that he may have been linked to the murder
of Doña Luisa de Encinillas, wife of the royal lodging master and concierge
Don Marcos de Encinillas, who killed her out of jealousy after discovering
that she was unfaithful to him with Acedo.
He was entitled to the gift; He was also known as cousin, that is to say
"cousin", ("primo") a name of improvement since it was the title with which
the king addressed the nobles of Spain in his private correspondence.
Diego Velázquez
Bufón con libros
Buffoon with books
Bouffon avec des livres
1640
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

Francisco Lezcano "The boy from Vallecas", pure innocence.
An impression of sweetness and clemency emanates from this childish face.
Without satirical intent, quite the contrary.
Diego Velázquez
El Niño de Vallecas
The Boy from Vallecas (Francisco Lezcano)
L'Enfant de Vallecas (Francisco Lezcano)
1635-1645
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

Velázquez pintor de príncipes y de bufones
Velázquez painter of princes and jesters
Velázquez peintre de princes et de bouffons
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