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Diego Velázquez
A monumental court painting that has left the Prado only once since 1819 — and was damaged when it did.
- Artist
- Diego Velázquez
- Date
- 1656
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 318 × 276 cm
- Location
- Museo del Prado, Madrid
History
What the record shows
Painted for Philip IV, the composition places the viewer in the position of the royal couple, reflected in the mirror at the rear of the room.
The canvas survived the 1734 fire at the Alcázar of Madrid, though the fire damage required restoration to the left cheek of the Infanta.
Its single evacuation to Geneva during the Spanish Civil War caused damage in transit. The Prado has treated the work as non-loanable ever since.
Provenance
Chain of ownership
- 01Royal collection of Philip IV, Alcázar of Madrid, 1656
- 02Damaged in the Alcázar fire, 1734; restored
- 03Museo del Prado from 1819
- 04Evacuated to Geneva during the Spanish Civil War; returned 1939
