PRADO, Las Meninas - D. Velazquez

You've come to the hero of your tour, the supreme Diego Velázquez, the highest painter of the 1600s and possibly all of Spanish art. His paintings are displayed at the center of the museum's first floor, and are arranged in chronological order. The paintings tell the story of his biography: his beginnings in Seville, his passion for the realism of Caravaggio, his move to Madrid, the first trip to Italy with his boundless admiration for Titian, his work for King Philip IV and his family, his second trip to Rome, and his later works for the court of Madrid.

Among all of these, Las Meninas stands out, which is the Prado's most precious jewel. This masterpiece dates back to the final stage of Velasquez's career when he returned to Madrid as court painter after his second trip to Italy.

The scene is set in a wing of the Royal Palace which King Philip IV had granted to the painter as a studio. It depicts the maids of honor along with Infanta Margarita, standing in a palace hall with decorations that Velázquez has reproduced in the painting. The small girl is five years old and is dressed up like a doll; she is clearly the center and driving force of the scene....