Velásquez: its history and its work

We’re now off to explore another world – that of Spain and the painter Velasquez. The picture we are going to examine is in Room 13. With the Pesne painting behind you, leave the room through the door straight in front of you. This leads to Room 11 in Roman numerals.

With the door you came in by behind you, now go through the door on your right. This opens onto a little passage leading to Room 12 in Roman numerals.

You should now be in Room 12. With the door you came in by behind you, go through the door right in front of you. This leads to Room 13 in Roman numerals. We’ll meet you there.

With the door behind you, go towards the wall on your right and up to the big portrait of a woman that hangs in the centre, dominating the wall. This is Portrait of a Lady by Velásquez and is dated 1631.

We have now left the cold climates of the north behind in favour of the court of Spain under Philip the 4th. But though the climate was kinder than that of northern Europe, the rigidity of Spanish ceremony and etiquette weighed heavily on the art of the 17th century.

Velasquez was both the king’s official painter and a revolutionary artist. Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velásquez was born in Seville in 1599. In 1622, he settled permanently in Madrid. He immediately came under the protection of the all-powerful Duke of Olivares, Minister to the young King Philip the 4th. This opened the doors of the court to him and in 1623, Velásquez became the king’s painter with a studio in the palace in Madrid. He alone was authorised to paint the sovereign. His portraits are characterised by their non-conventional realism. Velasquez refused to idealise his subjects’ faces and painted people just as they were. In 1628, he met Rubens and left with him for Italy. On his return in 1631, Velásquez painted a great many official portraits. His brush was very fluid and his colours were bathed in a clear, natural light. This portrait, dated 1631, is a good illustration of this period.

So let’s examine this superb portrait of an upper-class, middle-aged woman more closely. Firstly, she is shown in accordance with the Spanish conventions governing a court portrait. Velásquez shows her from the hips up, turning towards the left, with her right hand resting on the back of a chair and her left hand hanging down and holding a fan. Look carefully at this left hand. The fan is not clearly visible but the position of the closed fingers shows she is holding something. It has to be said that the pose is very static, one might almost say frozen!

Now turn your attention to her clothes. They are, of course, dark, in compliance with the requirements of Madrid etiquette, but enlivened by gold embroidery on the sleeves and on the bust, covered with a bodice that ends in a high collar. Notice with what subtlety Velásquez hints at the embroidery with just a light brushstroke. He seems to have merely sketched it in. If you look a bit longer at the black of her dress, you will notice that it is not uniformly black, but has a lighter floral pattern on it. Look at the fabric. The pattern is recognisable on the sleeve covering the arm that is hanging down, for example. Can you see the circular flower patterns? Velasquez demonstrates great skill in his use of colour by succeeding in making a black on black pattern visible. Now look at the face of this aristocrat. The first thing we notice is her hair, swept up on top of her head. Velasquez has reproduced her slightly frizzy hair to perfection, using rapid, precise brushstrokes. Take the time to look at them. These rapid brushstrokes remind us a little of Franz Hals’s technique in his painting, Malle Babbe. This is certainly no coincidence. They were painted during the same period. Malle Babbe was painted in 1630, a year before this picture and Velasquez had spent a lot of time talking to Rubens, an artist from the north, just like Hals.

But to get back to this painting. The social position of this woman is highlighted by the three pearls that protrude beneath her hair and fall onto her neck. Can you see them? This is a very expensive pendant earring. Look at the top of her hair and a little to the left. You will see a little flower poking out. This single hair ornament is a diamond rose that stands out beautifully from the neutral background.

The woman seems to be staring straight at the spectator with a frank, assured air that commands respect. As well as the no