Las Meninas, Spanish for The Ladies-in-Waiting, is a large painting by Diego Velazquez, the court painter of King Philip IV of Spain. It shows the young Infanta Margarita surrounded by her maids of honour, a dwarf, a dog and other members of the court in a room of the Alcazar palace in Madrid. Velazquez himself is shown at the left, standing behind a large canvas, and a mirror at the back reflects the faces of the king and queen. The complex play of looks and space has made the work a subject of endless interpretation by art historians and philosophers, including Michel Foucault. It is held in the Prado Museum in Madrid, and Picasso made dozens of variations on it.
Before and after
- from 1655 to 1660Second Northern War
- 25 March 1655Discovery of Titan
- from 29 July 1655 to 31 July 1655Battle of Vilnius
- from 28 November 1655 to 27 December 1655Siege of Jasna Góra
- 1656Las Meninas
- 1656Construction of Jama Masjid, Delhi
- 1656Pendulum clock
- from 28 July 1656 to 30 July 1656Battle of Warsaw
- 8 November 1656Birth of Edmond Halley
More in Art, literature & culture
- 1600Rise of Baroque music
- 1616Construction of Sultan Ahmed Mosque
- 1670Construction of avenue des Champs-Élysées
- 17th centuryRise of ukiyo-e
- 25 April 1719Publication of Robinson Crusoe
- 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 17th century.