Don Baltasar Carlos with a Dwarf
Diego Velazquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV, and one of the most important painters of the Spanish Golden Age.
Max Resolution:900×1168 PX
Title:Don Baltasar Carlos with a Dwarf
Artists:Diego Velazquez
Date:1632
Style:Baroque
Genre:portrait
Medium:oil,canvas
Location:Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston, MA, US
Dimensions:128×102 cm
Copyright:Public domain
Prince Balthasar Charles With a Dwarf is a 1631 portrait by Diego Velázquez of Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias and a court dwarf. It is now in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
The prince is shown in the uniform of a captain-general (adapted to his infant state but still including a commander's baton in his right hand, a shoulder sash and a sword hilt in his left hand). The dwarf holds an apple and a rattle, to contrast with the heir to the most powerful monarchy in Europe, who is shown as already in military training and not needing these usual children's attributes. The prince's static posture, in contrast to the dynamism of the dwarf's figure, turning to contemplate the prince, has caused some art historians to think that the painting was originally only of the prince, with the dwarf added later.
The prince is shown in the uniform of a captain-general (adapted to his infant state but still including a commander's baton in his right hand, a shoulder sash and a sword hilt in his left hand). The dwarf holds an apple and a rattle, to contrast with the heir to the most powerful monarchy in Europe, who is shown as already in military training and not needing these usual children's attributes. The prince's static posture, in contrast to the dynamism of the dwarf's figure, turning to contemplate the prince, has caused some art historians to think that the painting was originally only of the prince, with the dwarf added later.