Diego Velázquez was born in 1599 in Seville. A Spanish painter of the Golden Age, Velázquez was born in Seville, where he trained, and moved to Madrid, where he became court painter to King Philip IV. He painted portraits of the royal family and court, as well as religious subjects, scenes of everyday life, and The Surrender of Breda. His masterpiece Las Meninas of 1656 plays with space and the viewer's gaze in an unusual way. On visits to Italy he painted the portrait of Pope Innocent X and the Rokeby Venus. His free brushwork and sense of light influenced later artists, notably Édouard Manet.
Before and after
- from 1598 to 1613Time of Troubles
- 13 April 1598Edict of Nantes
- 7 November 1598Birth of Francisco de Zurbarán
- 7 December 1598Birth of Gian Lorenzo Bernini
- 1599Birth of Diego Velázquez
- 22 March 1599Birth of Anthony van Dyck
- 25 April 1599Birth of Oliver Cromwell
- 1600Publication of A Midsummer Night's Dream
- 1600Publication of The Merchant of Venice
More in Art, literature & culture
- 15th centuryConstruction of Red Square
- 1600Rise of Baroque music
- 1602Publication of Hamlet
- c. 1653The Taj Mahal is completed
- 17th centuryRise of ukiyo-e
- October 1745Publication of God Save the King
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 16th century.