Diego Velázquez was a Spanish master of the 17th century. Although many of his paintings
Diego Velázquez was a Spanish master of the 17th century. Although many of his paintings

exude elements of the then contemporary Baroque style, his career was a wide ranging one in which he developed a distinctly individual style. He was best known for his portraiture for the monarchy and court of King Philip IV, as well as the large Spanish royal family, though he also produced scenes from mythology, Christian iconographic works and genre paintings. Artists of the modern era, including Pablo Picasso, Édouard Manet and Salvador Dali, consistently returned to Velázquez’s oeuvre as inspiration, often in artistic dialogue with his works.