Velazquez Las Meninas and the Late Royal Portraits

This book presents a complete survey of one of the key moments in the history of the Spanish court portrait, a period spanning the years 1650 to 1680. In 1650 Velazquez was in Rome, where he depicted members of the papal court with a new freedom of approach, while the following year saw his keenly awaited return to Spain, where he returned to the conventions of the court portrait. From that point onwards and until his death in 1660, Velazquez devoted most of his efforts to satisfying a growing demand for portraits of the Spanish royal family. These images were used for both family and diplomatic purposes, given that Philip IV''s children with his last wife, Mariana of Austria, were essential elements in the strategic creation of political alliances across Europe. These last ten years of Velazquez''s career constitute a period with a marked and distinctive personality. His sitters were now primarily women and children rather than men, a difference that was accompanied by changes in the density of the pigment, the pictorial handwriting and the colour range, which became wider and richer. In terms of artistic achievement and social advancement, this decade marks the peak of Velazquez''s career, with Las Meninas as his great masterpiece.

Product details

• Authors: Miguel Moran, Miguel Morán, Museo Nacional del Prado, Javier portus Perez, Jfavier Perez, Javier Portus, Javier Portús, Andrea Sommer-Mathis, Miguel Moran Turina, Miguel Morán Turina
• Assisted by: Javier Portus (Editor), Javier Portús (Editor)
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 27.01.2014
• EAN: 9780500970584
• ISBN: 978-0-500-97058-4
• No. of pages: 176
• Dimensions: 250 mm x 290 mm x 20 mm
• Weight: 1200 g
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Art history; ART / History / General, ART / Individual Artists / Monographs, 18th century, c 1700 to c 1799, History of Art, 17th century, c 1600 to c 1699, Individual artists, art monographs, History of art & design styles: c 1600 to c 1800, Spain;Portraiture;Italy