L I T T L E B OOK S ON A R T

GENERAL EDITOR : CYRIL DAVENPORT

V E L A S Q U E Z L I T T L E B OO K S O N A R T

w 16 25 t De y m. . 6d. ne .

S U B J E C T S

S IC OR R E MINIATURE . AL E C AN B KP S DW RD A M CK OO LATE . E A L A K R H B W RS . T E GREE A T . . AL R H B W T E RS OMAN ART. . . AL

THE S APAN R . S W Y ART OF J . M S . C M . AL E W Y. V P R JE ELLER C. DA EN O T

H S . R H R C RI T IN ART M S . . JENNE

Y . R H R OUR LAD IN ART M S. . JENNE

H S SY B S . H R C RI TIAN M OLI M . JENNE M W SS . . BR D Y ILLUMINATED . J A LE E ENAMELS. MRS . N LSON DAWSON EcA N M FURNITURE . Ew

A R T I S T S

Y G ORGE P T O ROMNE . E AS N E DURER . L. J SSIE ALLEN Y S M RE NOLDS. J . I E W S. ISS . . SK T CH EY ATT M R E D . E L

‘ ‘ HOPPN . H P K SK IP I ON ER . . . R CE YRR - TURNER . F AN S T E LL GILL H H G MEw OGART . E AN B Eo NE FORT UNEE IS URN JO S. DE L LE H CE ORK R LEIG TON . ALI C AN B R SH RP REM RANDT. M S. E . A . A W W B nd BE T D F a . . I VELASQUEZ. ILF RI IL ER ORCE A R G L R Y K I SM A WOOD VAND C . M SS M . G . LL COX RT HUR OM O DAVID . A T S N H B B T R C ORT CU OL EIN . EA I E F ES E T H B IR NST I NGL and RS PO R D COROT . E EL M . A . LLA ’I‘T P COCK MILLET. NE A EA I CLAUDE . E . D LLO N Z B H Z F PO RD GREU E AND OUC ER . ELI A . LLA

PH . DRYHURST RA AEL A . R .

V E L A SQ U E Z

W I LFR I D W I LBER FORC E

A R LBE . . GI RT

WITH THIRTY ILLUSTRATIONS

M T H E E U N CO. E SSE X ST R E E T W . C . LONDON

1 904

C O N T E N T S

C H A P T E R I EARLY DAYS — ’ — Seville at the birth of Ve l asque z The artist s e a rly days His — — ' sojourn with H e rre ra He is transferre d to Pache co Pachecos — ’ pe culiar qua lifications for training him Ve lasque z s marriage — His earliest works The Wate r-carrie r The Bode gone s and sacre d subje cts page CHAPT ER II INTRODUCTION T O COURT — — Ve lasquez visits Madrid Paints a port ra it of Gongora He re turns — — to Seville I s summone d to Court E nte rta ine d by Fonse ca ' i i —S ain urin his re i n— ili s C aracter and tastes Ph l p IV. p d g g Ph p h — - His love of art His patronage of Ve lasque z CHAPTER III EARLY PORTRAITS — Prince Charles of England visits Madrid His portrait by Ve lasque z he e strian r i f ili —The rtist tains th T que po tra t o Ph p IV. A ob e — ’ monopoly of painting the roya l fe a tures Pache cos e x ul tation ’ — ’ and H errera s re se ntme nt T he que stion of H e rre ra s influe nce — "— The Prado portrait Of Philip Los BarraChOS T he Artist as a ost e of I m ressionism—The com e tition icture The p l p p p , ” Ex pulsion of the Moriscos CHAPTER I V RUBENS A ND VELASQU EZ Ve l asque z wins the prize in the compe tition The Ex pulsion of the — — Moriscos Rube ns visits Madrid His frie ndship with Ve lasque z ’ —His O inion of i i I V — ivare s - Ru e ns work in a ri p Ph l p . Ol b M d d — — Contrast be twe e n him and Ve lasquez Ve lasquez visits I taly - Ve nice CONT ENT S

CHAPTER V FIRST VISIT TO ROM E

’ — Ve ne tian art at the time of Ve lasque z s visit He goes to Rome — ’ — Roman artists Michae l Ange los Last J udgme nt Raphae l — — ’ His Va tican frescoes Ve lasque z s inte rcourse with Roman — — — painte rs His dwe lling on the Pincian He falls ill His origina l work in Rome T he Forge of Vulcan p age

CHAPTER VI MADRID ROUTIN E

’ — — Jose ph s Coa t Ve lasquez at Naple s I nfl ue nce of Stanzioni on — — Ve lasque z His re turn to Spa in T he gre at e que strian sta tue Of i — acca is commissione to e xe cute it — e as ue z Phil p IV . T d V l q — ’ supplie s Tacca with portraits Marriage of Ve lasque z s daughte r F ortraits of i i a nd his Consort —And of rancisca P Ph l p III . Olivare s and the Duke of Mode na T he Crucifix ion

CHAPTER VI I

T HE DWARF PORTRAITS

’ — Ve lasque z s portrait of Admiral Pareja I mpre ssionism and Sce ne — — painting The portrait of the admira l de ce ive s Philip T he “ — — Dwarf picture s T he re vol t in Ca talonia T he Court move s — ’ toSaragossa Ve lasque z s picture s in this place

CHAP TER VIII OLIVARES FALLS — — — The Court a t Cue nca Re turn to Madrid Fall of Olivare s His — ’ adopte d son J ulianillo Ve lasque z pa ints J ulianillos portrait — His last portrait Of Olivares Sympathy of Ve lasquez with the — — falle n ministe r T he re be llion in Ca talonia Philip take s the — — ’ fie ld Bes ie ges and capture s Le rida Ve lasque z s picture on the — — occasion Dea th of Que e n I sa be lla Portraits of the Prince of the Asturias CONTENT S vii CHAPTER IX ITALY ONCE MORE — T he Surre n e r of Bre a Ve asquez visits I ta y for the se con — d d l — — l d time His purchases in Ve nice Naple s He re ne ws acquaint ance wit Ri era—Don u f 11 mee ts Ri era—The h b J an o Austria . b conseque nces of the ir acquaintance M e CHAPTER X S ECOND VISIT T O ROM E — — — Rome in I 6so Visit of Ve lasque z His artist conte mporaries The — Pope commissions him to paint his portrait Difficultie s of the — — — task Portrait of J uan de Pareja Of I nnoce nt Characte ristics ’ — m n rtrai of portraiture Ad iration e x—cite d by I nnoce t s po t Ve lasquez colle cts art treasures Re turns to Madrid CHAPT ER XI ARTIST AND COURTI ER “ — Ve lasquez appointe d Apose ntador Mayor T he various dutie s of his ne w Office—Birt of rincess aria a r arita the c i of h P M M g , h ld ' — — Philip s se cond marriage His Que e n Mariana He r portrait by — — Ve l asquez His portrait of the Que e n at praye r T he baptism — — ' of the infant Princess A bull - fight Ve lasque z s occupations — ’ and his inte rcourse with Philip Ve lasque z s ge nius not limite d to I mpressionism CHAPTER XII T HE PALACE LADI ES

' — - Las Me ninas Ve lasque z s Choice of subje cts De ta il s of his — picture Las Me ninas The costume of royal Spa nish l adie s — “ " — The ir occupations T he vital force of Las Me ninas Ve l as ’ — que z s late r pictures The occupations of his la ter ye ars CHAPTER XIII A RT I N ROYAL FETTERS — ' The M a nt r a A ér w iada Distance ne ce ssary for its appre ciation “ ” — ’ — Las Hilande ras Ve lasque z s Court dutie s His longing for — I taly Fre nch Embassy to Madrid Ve lasque z as Cice rone to — Grammon t The Cross of Santiago Ve asque z at Fue ntarrabia — l The I sland of Pheasants CONT ENTS

CHAPTER XIV FRANCO - SPANISH PAGEANTS — The Royal Pavilion on the I sl and of Phe asa nts N ational Charac — ’ te ristics displaye d in the orname ntation Ve lasquez s labours — ' Journe y of the Court to Fue ntarrabia P i ip s imme nse re tinue — — h l Re ce ptions and pageants en r ou te Me e ting be twe e n Philip — — ’ a nd his Siste r T he Franco- Spanish Court Ve lasque z s appear — — a nce on this occasion The brilliancy of the festivities The Court re turns toMadrid page CHAPT ER XV

E E AND - I N- SLAV , DISCIPL , SON LAW “ e a ism ns — R l u uite d to mystical subje cts The Coronation St. " “ ' a u n n — an i —V ue z P l and St . A tho y St Fr cis Borg a e lasq s — — — disciple s Juan de Pareja He studie s art se cre tly His manne r “ of re ve a in his ta e nt His icture The C allin of St . l g l p , g — Matthe w Curious dive rge nce of Opinion conce rning this picture — — Pareja as portrait -painter Mazo Martine z CHAPTER XVI MURILLO AND OTH ERS — — Ve l asquez influe nce s I talian art His re l ations with Murillo Pupils — — — ’ — of Ve lasquez Carre no Alfaro The M emor za De Villacis "— De Aguiar The Family of Ve lasquez The que stion of its da te CHAPTER XVI I TO WHAT BASE US ES The difficultie s of trave l in Spain in the se ve nte e nth ce ntury — ’ ” Similar conditions in England Ve lasque z s ge n ius waste d as — — Apose ntador Ve l asquez toblame for this The conse que nt loss to art—Re turn f ue z a i —His i ne ss and e a — o Ve lasq to M dr d ll d th His fune ral CHAPTER XVI I I POSTHUMOUS CALUMNY—CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY

I NDEx 205 LIST OF ILLUSTRAT IONS

DI EGO DA SILVA VELASQUEz (PAINTED BY HIMSELF) F r an tispiece PAG E T HE WATER CARRI ER I I

E 1 8 PHILIP IV. IN COURT DR SS

2 8 PHILIP IV. OF SPAIN LOS BARRAC HOS 34

H E P ILIP I v. AT PRAY R 39 COUNT OLIVARES 42 T HE INFANTA MARGARITA 4 5 E E 0 VILLA M DICI , ROM 5 ’ JOS EPH S COAT 60 PRINCE BALTHASAR CARLOS T HE CRUCIFIXION SEBASTIAN MORRA “ T HE DWARF EL PR IMO CRISTOBAL DE PER NIA AS A TOREADOR T HE DWARF ANTONIO EL INGLES

I ESOP T HE SURRENDER OF EREDA H z INNOCENT x . TRIUMPHAL ARCH OF TITUS I I 5 Q UEEN MARIANA AT PRAYE R I I 9 “ ” LAS M ENINAS I 3O x LIST OF ILLUSTRAT IONS

T HE INFANTA MARGARITA (TH ERESA) LAS HI LANDERAS MENI P PUS T HE ADORATION OF T HE MAG I

T E . H VISIT OF ST. ANTHONY TO ST PAUL ’ VELASQUEZ S DAUGHTER FAMILY OF VELASQUEz “ ” DE E SIBYL (PROBABLY JUANA MIRANDA , WIF VELASQU EZ) V E L A SQ U E Z

C H A P T E R I

EARLY DAYS

— ’ Se ville at the birth Of Ve lasque z The arti st s e arly days — His sojourn With H e rre ra He is transfe rre d to Pache co — ’ Pache co s pe culiar qualifications for training him ’ — — Ve lasque z s marriage His e arlie st works The Wate r arr e r —The B ode on es and sacre d sub ects C i g j . N the sixteenth and early part Of the seven t e e nth century Seville was in many respects e i the most important city in the P n nsula . Hers was the great mart where twice each year the sustenance Of Spain was landed . Her wharves received the whole Of ’ the wealth which poured l in from the New Wor d ; her galleons , as they Guadal uive r sailed up the q , were eagerly looked for by the rest Of Spain and Of Europe by her w as supplied two- thirds Of the currency Of the “ Peninsula . Truly did Mercado call her the capital of all the merchants in the world .

But Seville was no mere commercial centre . B 2 VELASQUEZ The age Of Which we are Speaking saw the Of artistic influence Italy in its full force , and in no town was this influence more profoundly felt than in the capital Of Andalusia , both in manners and literature . Rome herself was not more ff Of a ected by the culture and refinement Greece , than were the art and literature Of Spain coloured and ennobled by Italian genius . With all this , however , the Moorish occupation had left its indelible mark upon Seville , to such a degree that to this day a visitor feels as though he had left Europe behind him and had entered some Oriental city . The beautiful Moorish

- tower on the north east corner Of the cathedral , the largest in Spain , the courtyards arcaded with marble pillars and decorated with coloured tiles and Old pictures , the fountains shooting their crystal waters into the clear southern air ,

n - the narrow , awni g covered streets Of the — Jewish quarter where Murillo was born in which one can walk in the middle Of the road ’ and touch the houses on either side with one s — outstretched hands the snatches Of Arabian music with which the popular melodies abound , the dances which on some occasions still survive in the Church services— all these features trans port the traveller to the scenery and surround ings Of some Eastern tale .

4 VELASQUEZ be came fairly proficient in other languages ; but the bent Of his genius very soon declared n unmis itself, and his father , recog ising from ’ takable Signs what the boy s career was likely an d to be , having , as we are told , a lofty idea Of to his v n his gifts , consented lea i g school his and devoting himself entirely to art . From ’ a N that day all Diego s other studies ce sed . O longer was he obliged to draw and paint sur re titious l a s p y, or to use his copybooks sketch ’ books , as had been his wont . His father s wa s one decision an honourable . The family means were ample ; there was therefore no

- question Of bread making in the matter . And n son to l yet De Silva , in allowi g his fol ow his bent , Showed himself to be above the snobbish ness which regards the profession Of an artist ’ — as u n becoming a gentleman s birth a senti ment by no means unknown to the parents Of some other artistic geniuses . Now arose the question a s to the master under whom Diego was to study . For the solution Of this question there must have been

’ e mba r ms de r zchesse an in Seville at that period , a nd , no doubt , the various pros and cons were fully discussed before choice w as made of Francisco de Herrera , then in the very z Of x T O enith his e traordinary powers . him EARLY DAYS 5

— a Diego was sent finely strung , sensitive boy Of twelve ; and it is surely not surprising to hear that the connection between the two

- n was Short lived . The energetic and ecce tric

genius Of Herrera , however much it may on delight us when it is exhibited his canvas , was scarcely likely to make a boy like Diego

happy . His temper and his methods were

alike calculated to frighten a child . He was a misanthropist who had passed his education

in solitude . His whole soul was set in open rebellion against the received style and views n Of Spanish art , and he was bent upon breaki g through the narrow theories which trammelled

it . I n his wild eccentricity he is said to have drawn with charred reeds and painted with a ’ - house painter s brush . On one occasion he

ordered the housemaid to prepare his canvas . was to She daub it with her besoms and brooms , after which the artist “ worked in his figures ” ’ His and draperies . housemaid s services were required because he had been deserted by his pupils , a thing which not infrequently occurred .

Indeed , if we are to believe Palomino , his children fled from the paternal roof owing to ’ NO their father s harshness . doubt young Velasquez found a year quite long enough to 6 VELASQUEZ

n d Spe d with this omestic firework , and the l ' ca mer atmosphere Of Pacheco s studio , to n ow which he was transferred , must have been

a delightful contrast . Francisco Pacheco had lately returned from a journey which w as destined to have im

n e for be porta t r sults him , when Velasquez 1 6 1 1 came his pupil . In he had paid a visit to l the Court , where he had been ab e to study in the originals the Italian pictures whose

Copies he had so long admired . In the Escurial , C a rducho in the studios Of and El Greco , he

imbibed ideas which coloured all his later work . was Of He essentially a man rule and principle ,

with a strong , resolute , determined will , and an infi n ite capacity for taking pains coupled with SO scanty an allowan ce Of creative power a s to make him a witness to the absurdity n n who Of the modern defi ition Of ge ius . He

- Of w as had been a fellow pupil Herrera , the strenuous defender Of the decaying system

which Herrera detested , not , however , without

a keen suspicion that it was doomed . He

returned to Seville with ideas greatly enlarged , W ith a freer brush , a more robust and vigorous

e . mann r , and a quickened fancy He now Opened a school Of painting in which Velas n quez became a pupil during the ext five years . EARLY DAYS 7 Many writers have expressed surprise that Velasquez could have reconciled himself to his this long sojourn with new master . But , putti ng aside the probability that at first at least he had no choice but to remain where his n o t father had put him , there is doubt tha his Pacheco , with all limitations , was able to help the boy in many ways . To begin with he was a scholar and a man Of refinement , who had cultivated his mind to the utmost . He was a great deal more than a mere artist Of arch ae olo the second rank . He was a poet , an gist , and an author . His studies had created in him an ideal Of art which his defective genius his prevented putting into execution . His greatness consisted in being able to analyse and criticise what he could not have produced . His weakness lay in his inability to realise that he could not produce it . The strong and great Of aspects his nature were , therefore , precisely fitted for training one whose genius transcended Of his own . Thus , even when the relief being taught by a sane and kindly man had outworn the its novelty , there remained for Velasquez supreme advantage of a severe and methodical n sa traini g which , let people y what they will , is as essential for the guidance Of genius as Of the the most ordinary talent . Thus young 8 VELASQUEZ “ Diego was taught that drawing is the life ” Of n and soul painti g , that art has really no difli cult other y, and that even giants (or e geniuses) hav in this their lifelong struggle , one in which they can never for a moment lay aside their arms . ’ Pacheco s bOOk s give u s in the utmost detail the principles which governed him . Thus we may infer with accuracy the methods which he adopted in training Velasquez , down even to the composition of the pigments and other minutiae all so Of Of the art . And yet with this , little a pedant was Pacheco that we find him acknow ledging at the end Of his long work that what is here said by no means claims to tie down to these laws and ways those who are ” Of trying to reach the summit the art , adding that he has no wish to impose burden s and ” yokes upon good heads , and that there may b e other methods possibly easier and better . Surely this was not the man in whose studio the genius Of Velasquez was likely to become “ cribbed , cabined , and confined . And yet s ome writers , in their wonder at his forbearance , have suggested that during the five years he spent in what Palomino calls this golden n prison of art , he was only servi g for his is 1 6 1 8 Rachel ; for certain it that , in , he EARLY DAYS 9

’ became Pacheco s son - in - law The wedding t on a rd 1 6 1 8 ook place April 3 , , in the church ’ Of St . Michael , in Seville , the bride s name being Juana de Miranda . She seems to have ’ been Pacheco s only daughter . This marriage , which in England would be thought an im prudently early one , seeing that the bridegroom wanted nearly two months Of his nineteenth ’ birthday , met with Pacheco s full approval . He writes After five years Of education and trai n ing I married him [Velasquez] to my d daughter , in uced by his youth , integrity , and good qualities and the prospect Of his grea t ” n n atural ge ius . Of The portrait his wife by the artist , as it u s hangs in the Prado , shows a sensible , Clear

- cut profile, the deep set eyes and straight nose Of telling her artistic parentage . The lips and contour Of the mouth denote a gentle nature which the firmly set lips forbid us to mistake sh e for mere softness . With a wife such as O or clearly was , and with the exceptional pp ’ tu n it y which , as her father s pupil , he must have had Of knowing her intimately , with every Of prospect domestic happiness , though little dreaming Of the greatness he was destined to attain , Velasquez entered upon the first stage Of his career . I O VELASQUEZ

In these his early days be confined hims e to the production Of Bodegones (or what ma be called kitchen pieces) and Of sacred s ut j e cts ; and this he did appropriately enough

‘ for while the former class appealed at tha

to c time Andalusian taste , the intensely Catholi atmosphere Of Seville naturally inspired a t artist to paint those mysteries which were i ’ n o everyone s mind . And certainly apology needed for a man who applies the early fruits

Of his genius to the sublimest subjects . The work which claims the proud distinction ’ Of being the first production Of the artist s u n aided brush is the well - known Water- carrier ” Of Seville . Though ranking with the Bode gones , this picture is in some respects more a s attractive than others Of its class , inasmuch the human element SO entirely predominates . Many Of the Bodegones represent interiors and still life with such scrupulous accuracy that a full description Of them sounds like nothing so ’ much as an extract from an auctioneer s sale “ ” - catalogue . The Water carrier , on the other on i s hand , contains t small Space three human i s figures . Velasquez h mself wa evidently well w pleased with it , for he took it ith him when summoned to Court , and it found a place in one Of Of the rooms the Buen Retiro , where it

I 2 VELASQUEZ

ample forehead ; the prominent cheek - bones imparting a look of asceticism to the face ;

- - C the air of self abnegation , of self onquest , and Of the peace thereby Obtained the mouth with its unmistakable expression Of gentle ness which the beard scarcely hides— all these

features , combined with the upright , military

figure and the aristocratic presence , remind one

irresistibly Of the portraits of St . Ignatius . was And yet , curiously enough , Velasquez not painting his water - carrier from a Spanish

model , but from a Corsican who had joined the

A ua dor es . guild of g , or waterers of Seville Even this— his first work— might have shown anyone with a taste for prophecy that Velas quez would one day be known as a portrait Of painter . But this branch art , for which n ot Pacheco says a man is born , trained , was only adopted by Velasquez many years later . “ For work contemporary with T h e Water carrier of Seville ” we must turn to the ” famous Adoration of the Magi , SO familiar to visitors to the Prado , and The Shepherds ou r at Bethlehem , which hangs in National

Gallery . Another early picture of the Bodegones class is ought not to be passed over . It known ” e Of under the nam the Two Peasants , and EARLY DAYS I 3 it is in th e collection Of the late Sir Francis

of . is Cook , Richmond It an exquisite speci of its men class . A woman seated before a fire is busy cooking an omelette in an earthen

pan . On her left stands a boy with a melon is ff m under his arm . He O ering the wo an a

- flask wine . In the foreground Of the picture are various kitchen utensils familiar to every

housekeeper , which the Sevillians of that age

loved to see depicted upon canvas . “ The controversy as to the subject in art n or ca n we se t still rages , attempt even to it For forth at the end of a chapter . our part we cannot see that it degrades an artist to a s paint even homely things he Sees them ,

s who though there are doubtles many painters , while they would be the first to laugh at the adulation which should compare them with a s Velasquez , would none the less resent an outrage the suggestion that they Should apply themselves to depicting a class Of subjects which , as treated by that great master , have nevertheless added dignity and lustre to the noblest galleries in the world . C H A P T E R I I

INTRODUCTION TO COURT — — Ve lasque z Visits M adrid Pai nts a portrait Of Gongora He — — re turns to Se ville I S summone d to Court Ente rtaine d a— l I V — S a n dur n his re n by Fonse c Phi ip . p i i g ig ’ — — Philip s characte r and taste s His love of art His r na Of V las ue z pat o ge e q . H EN he attained the age of twenty three Velasquez felt that he had nothing more to learn in Seville , and like all ambitious souls w as seized with the desire to go further afield and enlarge his experiences by pene trating deeper into the alluring spheres of the Of as world art , exemplified by the great

Castilian painters . 1 6 2 2 sa w se t The month of April , , him out for Madrid in company with his servant only , little dreaming that he was even then on the to road his future triumphs . At the period under present notice Madrid — was at the zenith of its glory a true centre of genius and magnificence , entitling it to be regarded as the very Mecca of all Spanish Of devotees art . INT RODUCT ION T O COURT 1 5

Fortunately for Velasquez his father- in - law Pacheco was able to furnish him with valuable introductions , among others to Don Luis and a Don Melchor del Alc zar , and even to Don — Juan Fonse ca himself a n art patron Of high n reputatio and immense influence , whose posi tion at the Court Of Philip IV . was the means of procuring for the young artist admission to the royal galleries . Fonseca even went SO far as to suggest that the King Should com mission Velasquez to paint his portrait .

This proposition , however , remained for the present unrealised , the youthful Sovereign being apparently too much absorbed by the novelty and pleasures of monarchy to care to spend n lo g hours posing before an artist . t Later , when the brigh promise of early days had faded into sombre tints , and melancholy , ’ - so the Death s head at many of his feasts , had

too o become constant a companion , the King was glad enough to while away the tedium Of overshadowing e n n u i by giving Sittings to the then consummate painter Velasquez . t But we anticipate . The first visit o Madrid ended , after a certain number of months spent by the artist in study at the Prado and Escurial , i and in the pa nting Of a portrait of Gongora , Of the poet , in accordance with the desire 1 6 VELASQUEZ Pacheco This picture is much more sug ge s tive of a member Of the Holy Office (Of the Inquisition) than Of the much - lauded Bard of Andalusia ; and the severe face of the bald headed ecclesiastic looking ou t from its frame ’ - ce r in the Queen Of Spain s Gallery to day . tain ly appears to have little in common with

r for r Lyre o Laurel Wreath . Except this po to trait , this first pilgrimage of Velasquez the Spanish capital seems to have resulted in nothi ng more than an extended area Of know ledge and for his eyes a plenteous feast Of art treasures — for the notice of a courtier and of a s n o some city magnates , gratifying it doubt was as , can scarcely count an important event in his career . But just as events destined to make or mar a whole future frequently enter life without so ” much a s a premonitory knock at the door so ou t Of from Fate , it fell in the case Velas quez . An unknown suppliant at the shrine Of 1 6 2 2 to se t art in , he left it only be recalled to his foot on the first rung Of the ladder leading to fame and fortune .

’ his rofé e After p g had bid farewell to Madrid , onse ca F , far from consigning him to Oblivion , on his exerted himself to such purpose behalf, as to be rewarded by the enlistment in the in INTRODUCT ION T O COURT 1 7 te re sts Of Velasquez of none other than the ’ King s Prime Minister , Count Olivares , with the result that the artist speedily received a n to letter summoni g him Court , together with the sum of fifty ducats to defray expenses . It need hardly be said that the command was no sooner issued than it w as obeyed ; and On this occasion the artist did not travel in the com an of n p y . his servant o ly (a mulatto lad , h Of w o subsequently became a painter merit , wa s Juan Pareja), but accompanied by Pacheco , who could n ot deny himself the pleasure of sharing in the success prophesied by circum

his s on - in - Of stances for pupil and law , and Of basking in the sunshine reflected glory . 1 6 2 In March , 3 , the three travellers arrived a at the capit l , and were installed as the guests

Of Fonseca , whose first gracious act was to order a portrait Of himself to be painted by as Velasquez . The very evening it w finished the picture was conveyed to the Palace Of the

Cardinal Infant , and before the expiration Of sixty seconds it had been the cynosure Of eyes Of no less illustrious than those the King , an d sa the Cardinal Infant , Don Carlos , to y n nothing of a goodly muster of gra dees . “ ff There is a tide in the a airs of men , which , ” taken at the flood , leads on to fortune . And 1 8 VELASQUEZ never were these immortal words more applic in able than the case of Velasquez. But what of the Sovereign whose patronage he so faithfully requited during the long years of his splendid career P At the time that Velasquez took up the new

Of . thread his life at Madrid , Philip IV had his attained only the nineteenth year Of age , and was merely on the threshhold Of a re ign

e x te nding Over nearly half a century . To the unbiassed student Of history the n or ate , grandiloquent allusions to His Majesty On the part Of his contemporaries appear in to sa congruous , y the least , in their Overloaded — fawning flattery and the climax is reache d in the florid poem composed by Pacheco in com memoration Of the first celebrated portrait Of th e royal features executed by Velasquez .

From the impartial standpoint of the present ,

Philip IV . was far from being the hero that his flat e r rs t e represent him . For those who have the welfare of the European system s u flicie ntly at to f r heart concern o the dead past , _ _feel the re can be little beyond regret aroused by the study Of Spanish policy during those fo rty four years of a reign chiefly remarkable for m isrule , commercial decline , and de pression (with all its attendant evils) in the outlying

2 2 VELASQUEZ

ff as or connoisseur ; his e orts author , poet , musician and painter marking him ou t on the background Of histo ry as a man Of extra

ordinary versatility and exceptional gifts . To

this day , the Royal Library at Madrid contains volumes Of his translations from the Italian ; and an eminent critic of his ow n era (Pellicer de Salas) extolled the talents Of “ His Majesty ”

in terms which rangtrue with sincerity . I nco n ito g Philip IV . loved to break a lance Or with the knights Of the dramatic muse , “ take the boards when the whim seized him ; e while , above all , Art ranked in the for most s Lie e place from fir t to last , and remained his g Lady even when dividing the honours wi th

Literature . Under the tuition of Juan Bautista (the Dominican) he developed into an artist worthy “ to take rank a s the best Of the House Of ” a his Austri , multiplying trophies Of skill in

- - Oil- pen and ink , sketching , and painting . For Velasquez it augured well indeed to enter the service of a monarch whose predilections made him so ready to hold out the golden sceptre a for to genius , the latter prerog tive Obtaining the artist courtly dignities and substantial s the emoluments , beside advantage of foreign c n travel in exe utio of the royal behests . INT RODUCT ION T O COURT 2 1 from the burden Of his position behind the doors Of theatres , on the Grand Tier at bull not d fights , and in art studios , when engage re in less reputable enjoyment . And while l of be lion and discord increased , and the fate his empire trembled in the balance , the King acted in farces a nd comedies ; gave directions his for beautifying gardens or galleries , and do a n th in was ready , in Short , to y g but make ” the Constitution . Although Philip cannot claim admiration a s ha s a ruler , he is worthy of all the praise he received for his artistic and literary abilities . a Indeed , his patron ge Of Art and Letters , his whole attitude towards the cultivation Of a

f - u s t sense of the beauti ul , well nigh tempt o catalogue him as a Spanish impersonation Of ” l M a nifi o Lorenzo I g c . Throughout his reign the stage Of Castile was in the heyday Of its — “ renown ; and Calderon styled the Shake — speare Of Spain and Francesco de Rox as m a rob a the poet , received the eed of royal pp not for tion , and this in words only, both were rewarded by the Cross Of Santiago . Within the Palace itself the atmosphere was redolent of Art and Literature , while its precincts fairly of scintillated with clusters brilliant men . th e no Moreover , King was mere dile ttante 2 2 VELASQUEZ ff or connoisseur ; his e orts as author , poet , musician and painter marking him out on th e background of history a s a man Of e x tra nd ordinary versatility a exceptional gifts . To

this day , the Royal Library at Madrid contains volumes of his translations from the Italian ; and an eminent critic Of his own era (Pellicer “ ” de Salas) extolled the talents Of His M ajesty

in terms which rangtrue with sincerity . I nco n ito n e g Philip IV . loved to break a la c h wit the knights of the dramatic muse , or “ take the boards when the whim seized him ; w st hile , above all , Art ranked in the foremo s Lie e place from fir t to last , and remained his g ’ Laay even when dividing the honours wi th

Literature . Under the tuition of Juan Bautista (the Dominican) he developed into an artist worthy “ to take rank as the best Of the House Of ” of Austria , multiplying trophies his skill in

- - - pen and ink , Sketching , and Oil painting . For Velasquez it augured well indeed to enter the service Of a monarch whose predilections made him so ready to hold out the golden sceptre the to genius , l atter prerogative obtaining for the artist courtly dignities and substantial s e s th n n emolument , b side e adva tage of foreig e x c n the trav l in e e utio of royal behests . INT RODUCT ION T O OOURT 2 3 Had all the interest and e arnestness which the King devoted to art and culture be en focussed upon affairs of State the annals of e ff h his reign would have be n di erent, and t e historian Of Spain would have had a happier As s story to tell . it is , we mu t at least give is credit where it due . It is a royal privilege to recognise genius , and this Philip undoubtedly ff T h did when occasion O ered . e appearance of “ Rubens in Spain was an event marked with ” a white stone , the enthusiasm of Philip vent ing itself in a truly regal bestowal of rewards s n of merit . In forthcoming page some thi g will be said about the meeting between the great Flemish painter and Spain ’s first impres ’ sionist , including Rubens incitement of Velas quez to Italian travel ; but for the present we must see to h ow it fared with the subject of this biography after the exhibition of his picture on that memorable day in the Palace Of the

Cardinal Infant , when , through the agency of

on e a . F s c , he paid his second visit to Madrid This event may justly be estimated as the t ’ crucial point in the ar ist s career , and , happily for him , it resulted in a recognition of his genius which undoubtedly paved the way to future glory . Philip forthwith took him into his service at a salary Of twe nty ducats a 2 4 VELASQUEZ

n se t mo th , Velasquez being ordered to to work r upon a po trait of the Infant Don Fernando .

The King , however , became impatient to s his t su ubmit own features to the ar ist , and p ple me nte d the first commission by a second (to

be undertaken without delay), namely , a large

equestrian picture of himself. C H A PTE R I I I

EARLY PORTRAITS — Prince Charle s of England visits Madrid His portrait by V las u z—Th e e ue str an il —The e q e q i portrait of Ph ip IV . A rtist Obta ins the monopoly Of paintingth e royal fe ature s — ’ ’ — Pache cos e xultation and He rre ra s re se ntme nt T he ’ — que stion Of H e rre ra s in flue nce T he Prado portrait Of — “ ” Philip LOS Barrachos T he A rtist as apostle Of “ m re ssion sm— T he com e t t on cture T he Ex ul I p i p i i pi , p ” i f h oriscos s on O t e M .

H I LST Velasquez was engaged upon his first royal order there arrived at the

Spanish Court Prince Charles of England , attended by Buckingham , intent on a matri n monial mission , having the I fanta for its

Object . Doubtless the artist found the endless round n of gaieties (alternating with negotiatio s), which occupied the King at this juncture , s omewhat trying and untimely . Be this as it may , it is certain that many interruptions occurred in the sittings , such gaps being widened into a lengthy hindrance owing to the 2 6 VELASQUEZ

’ royal suitor s undue detention at Court th e while Olivares played a diplomatic game of t te e sts fast and loose , to gain ime in the in r h a ffair of his own policy in connection with t e . After the expiration Of five months the P rince “ ” and his Squire succeeded in sounding the or Of es a t depths , the shallows , the motiv r s t n the work egarding the royal uit , and aki g the measure of the situation , withdrew from his Castilian Court, Prince Charles turning f ne bu steps in the direction O pastures w, t not in kind for th e ns n before making repayment , i i ce rit Of ft y meted out to him , in the form a gi , he e n ed emblematical of Constancy , which pres t to the Infanta on his departure . And thus was an intriguing State policy hoist with its own petard ! a r e Although Prince Charles did not gain b id , the five months he spent amidst the splendours of Madrid were not by any means p rofitless ; the art Of the Spanish capital was in itse lf a m radiant drea , and an education for the e ye ff second only to that a orded by Rome . The lucky star Of Velasquez was as usual n t in the asce dant . Far from being le ft o hide his s light under a bushel during the royal vi it, the artist was brought before the notice of and n st the di Prince Ch arles , otwith anding s

2 8 VELASQURZ

s o trian portrait Of Philip , long in hand , was at last accomplished; and exhibited in the chief public thoroughfare in the city , amidst a perfect furore Of admiration from a vast throng Of the ’ His artist s proud compatriots . work was greeted by Odes and eulogies— the enthusiasm Of the City being outdone if possible by the ’ Court . The King s naturally impassive tem e rame n t p , roused by a touch from the magic ratifica wand Of Art , blazed up in a glow Of g tion ; the rose - coloured light Of his favour enveloped the person Of Velasquez , and the artist found himself raised to the very pinnacle was Of Fame . He rewarded by the royal s u m ratification Of his position at Court , the Of three hundred ducats was bestowed upon him , together with the monopoly Of pourtraying n l for the countena ce Of Phi ip IV . the future . Twice only (in the case Of Rubens and Of Crayer) did the King deviate from his resolve his to Sit to none other than favourite artist . Pacheco was jubilant at the triumph Of his son - in - now - in - law and pupil , Painter Ordinary to His Majesty ; but the harmony Of approval “ ” was broken by the growl Of resentment ’ which issued from Herrera s studio , when he ’ saw the glory Of Ve lasque z s s uccess reflected Of P ackeoo like an aureole round the head , EARLY PORT RAIT S 2 9 who , in Open triumph , attributed to himself ’ what , in Herrera s view , should have belonged o For a s he — — h t him . w it not Herrera w o ’ had influenced and directed the young artist s genius T O whom but him did Velasquez owe his characteristic genre And who but Herrera could have stamped impressionism SO indelibly on ! too the plasticity Of early youth Then , , Herrera could point to the similarity in the colouring Of master a nd pupil in support Of his on claim . Certainly both Herrera and , later , Velasquez are characterised by the same vigour f— SO Of touch , the same bold relie instinct with f — he s ame li h ts li e and movement t g and shadows ,

the same sombre , and yet simple , strength Of ’

. w as tone Still , Herrera s view , very naturally , n o onesided , and final opinion Should be formed , no dogmatic utterance made , without taking

the other side into consideration . I n the first place the “ freedom which

characterised Herrera had , long before , been Of seen in the work El Greco , and in the very his year that Velasquez became pupil , Pacheco had paid a visit— with his eyes open— to El ’ in Greco s studio . That Visit , as we know , ’

fl ue nce d own . Pacheco s method Why , then , are we to be s o sure that it did not influence his teachi ng ! And if in five years Pacheco 3O VELASQUEZ

’ could not instil into his pupil s mind what he had lately acquired , how is it that Herrera , in his Short and stormy twelvemonth , was able ’ to mould Ve lasque z s art to his ow n pattern But the fact is that it wa s only long after his years Of tuition , whether under Herrera or Pacheco , that Velasquez adopted that style to which the adherents Of the Herrera View His point in support Of their Claim . early manner Shows nothing at all resembling that his to Of Herrera . On the contrary , fidelity — — his models always remarkable is at this period close even to hardness ; his drawing is — in cool , restrained , dainty a word , the very ’ n im antipodes Of Herrera s dashi g , headlong , e t uous n ot p manner. It was until Velasquez wa s settled at Madrid that his pictures began gradually to assume the “ second manner Of wa s which freedom Of brush a characteristic . ’ n After the exhibition Of the Ki g s portrait , Velasquez received the royal command to his to remove home from Seville the capital , at the same time being presented with a sum

Of three hundred ducats to meet his expenses . Three years later he was accorded rooms in

the Treasury , to the east Of the Alcazar (worth

quite two hundred ducats to him , in addition his to salary). Besides this he had his private EARLY PORTRAIT S 3 1

d n was we lli g in the city . Here genius in a golden setting and no mistake — ’ “ The famous picture itself Ve la sque z s Open Sesame ” to position and fame— apparently s n exi ts o longer . It is supposed to have perished along with other treasures in a fire

at the Palace , Of later date . h a s But , though this picture disappeared , no n leaving trace , a other portrait of Philip IV . , no s of w in the Mu eum the Prado , conveys a very ’ adequate idea Of that first effort of Ve la sque z s n genius , which So delighted his royal patro . The picture in the Prado represents Philip in on dark armour , with a Spanish plumed hat ou t his head , the crimson scarf flowing in the breeze from over his Shoulders relievin g the more sombre tints Of his armour with a splash is on of rich colour . He mounted a splendid lu x u ri bay (a typical Andalusian), rejoicing in a ance of mane and tail which appears almost to a n d s u e s exaggerated British eyes , more gg tive Of an ornamental circus steed than of a conventional charger .

But Velasquez , familiar with the reality , was here as elsewhere true to life , when he painted a horse otherwise than according to the taste prevalent in an English stable . And a replica ’ Of Philip s prancing steed may be seen in certai n 3 2 VELASQUEZ parts of Spain by a nv traveller to the present day . Whether or no the biographies Of the King do him full justice may be open to question . But there is not much room for doubt as to his

good fortune in the matter Of portraiture . His face is more familiar to u s than are the details his of history . The hand of Velasquez has

n o - immortalised raven haired , dusky Spaniard conversance with the galleries O f Europe fami

ia rise s - - l us with a pale , oval faced , sleepy eyed ,

- apathetic looking man , chiefly distinguishable by the long- twirled- O u t moustaches Of his full

lipped mouth , and by his square , massive chin . In the equestrian picture just described the ’ artist s manipulation Of his colours h a s produced e a perf ct rendering Of that fine , delicate Skin

texture , characteristic Of youth and health , while the King ’ s habitual languor Of expression and somewhat bored lethargy Of air and bear ing are lightened by the exhilaration Of his

ride , together with a proud consciousness of

his mastery over the prancing , Spirited mount , SO thoroughly in hand under the finest horse

man Of his day . The appearance (about the same date) Of ’ ” las ue z s LOS Ve q Borrachos , or The ” Topers , gave ample evidence that the power EARLY PORT RAITS 33 ful individuality of his style had in nowise diminished through the fact Of his having become a Court painter . T o the end of the chapter he remained the e n n xpo ent Of the realistic se timent in nature , rather than Of the ideal . to “ Im Moreover , according the Gospel Of ” ’ is to pressionism , the painter s aim represent nature a s she appears to the eye ; as a vast aggregate encomp assed b v the surrounding ” ae ocean Of ther , and toned by the harmonies not as or discords Of existent actuality , and a set Of isolated units demanding microscopic scrutiny and reproduction . For the impressionist the world is an ever varying Chiaroscuro Of colours , of lights and ff shadows , e ects and contrasts ; a giant pano on rama , whose scenes he arrests his canvas as they pass before him in their never- ending and kaleidoscopic succession . Critics no doubt are to be found who com ’ Ve las u e z s his plain that q studies Of still life ,

Bodegones Of an earlier date , SO suggestive

Of the Dutch school , and yet SO popular in to ae st Spain , display an attention minuti almo too literal in its interpretation Of the sub e ct j but with the passage Of a few years , this method ga ve place to the style characterisi n g D 34 VELASQUEZ those great representative masterpieces of his genius by which Velasquez is best known to the world— the style for which Herrera Claimed

credit . The technical detail of the Bodegones was thus exchanged for a veritable translation of Objective impressions through the medium Of r ff colouring , productive Of pe fect scenic e ect ; such an effect acts upon the senses in a very different way from the pocket lens style of delineation— the result Of a laborious renderi ng

of objects in detail . is Velasquez , therefore , rightly considered the precursor Of modern Impressionism ; the inaugurator Of a new era in the department Of colour , and indeed in the annals Of art . In LOS B a rrachos (or The Topers we

- have a nearly life sized group Of nine . The

is - presiding genius a coarse looking Bacchus , seated on a cask and crowned with the in e vit in act of able vine wreath . He is the similarly “ ” ornamenting the head Of a kneeli ng Votary ; the grotesque gravity ruling the proceedings being strikingly indicative Of desperate a t tempts to ape a sobriety conspicuous by its s of in tox i absence . Sample various stages Of cation are afforded by the rustic spectators of this edifying ceremony .

36 VELASQUEZ

1 6 2 Diego Velasquez , 4 . Only six figures are here represented , among them being one of an exceptionally hideous negro boy— no where found in the picture itself. The expulsion of the descendants Of the Moors from Spain by the father Of Philip the Fourth raised a desire in the breast of his son to com m n emorate an act he admired , and could ot Im as no itate . Though there w more game for to of the same species him hunt down , he cou ld at least immortalise the memory of the third Philip in the rOle his successor would fain have emulated . To ensure the very best rendering of the subject , the King ordered a contest between C a rducho C a x e si Ve l as u ez , , Nardi , and q ; the first three Italian by birth but Spanish by a s l f adoption , regarded their artistic i e , and all were Court painters . They were also men of so distinguished reputation , that Velasquez entered the field with foemen worthy Of his steel . The judges appointed to pronounce a verdict as to the awarding Of the prize were C re sce nzi the Italian and Fray Juan Bautista , the Dominican ; both Of them were men fully qualified for their somewhat onerous duty . C H A PT E R I V

RUB ENS AND VELASQUEZ

Ve lasquez Wins the prize in th e compe tition Th e Ex ”— — pulsion of the Moriscos Rube ns visits M adrid His fr e nds w V las u z —Hi o n f li I V i hip ith e q e s pi ion o Phi p . — ’ — Oliva res Rube ns work in Madrid Contrast b e twe e n himand Ve las uez— Ve las uez v s ts ta l — Ve n ce q q i i I y i .

H E prize destined for the winner in this contest between the artists was nothing less than the Usher ’ s Wand Of the Royal Chamber ; and this wa s triumphantly carried off His — a n by Velasquez . picture allegorica l — in re conception was hung the Alcazar . It

presented the very unheroic figure Of Philip I I I . n presidi g , truncheon in hand , over the banish who ment Of a number Of Moors , , under custody of a detachment Of soldiers , were being marshalled seawards to the ships which were to carry them far over the waves into

exile . of From her coign vantage , backed by a of n ot temple , a symbolical figure Spain ( unlike 37 38 VELASQUEZ a Roman matron) smiled approvingly on the om scene , totally unmoved by the weeping w e n and childre n . s a n d t h Arti tic his orical interest apart , t e

- its s m subject matter Of the picture , including y bolis m n ot as h u ma n d , did strike a chor as other works Of Velasquez ; in this instance he ’ does n ot seem to have been so near to N ature s his heart , and we cannot help feeling that pic toria l panegyric Of the third Philip was a n undertaki ng not worthy of th e master hand of its n m ri s as the artist , despite unquestio able e t a painting . It is supposed to have been destroyed in 1 7 3 5 in the fire at the Alcazar ; certainly it has vanished from Off the face Of the earth by m no l so e means . And though genuine Ve as ca n t is quez well be spared , the loss of h picture is perhaps on the whole less deplorable than would have been that Of many another ’ outcome Of the artist s genius . to ’ In addition the Usher s Wand , Philip IV . conferred on Velasquez the rank of a Gentl e ” man Of the Chamber which raised the in come Of the favourite by twelve reals per day not to mention the adjunct Of ninety ducats per annum for the dres s required for his new

position . RUBENS AND VELASQUEZ 39

’ Ve lasque z s father sunned himself in the f “ ” ’ good ortune Of his Diego , the King s bounty to n extending from child pare t , SO that Don Juan Rodriguez de Silva found himself at this juncture the happy possessor Of three different

ffi posts in the Government O ces at Seville , to the tune Of a thousand ducats ann ually for

each appointment . The summer Of 1 6 2 8 saw the arrival of Rubens in Madrid as Envoy Of the Archduchess

governing the Low Countries . Velasquez and the great Fleming were already o acquainted by letter . The tw men were thus to predisposed like each other , and their meet w a s ing altogether happy . a s Besides having much in common , to tem e ra me nt p and talent , their friendship was no of clouded by thought rivalry , a tribute which cannot be paid to the relations between

or s many Of the artistic , literary , musical giant — Of the world such Titans being not infre quently more in conflict than accord , and “ ge n iu s being all too Often its own storm centre . Velasquez seems to have made the most Of every opportunity for seeking the society of Rubens during the nine months which the Dutch master spent on his diplomatic mission 40 VELASQUEZ

a s his n to in Madrid , acting Cicero e the glories of that wonderful city — her churches and galleries— while in the Escurial the two artists Offered the incense Of their homage at the

Shrines Of Raphael and Titian . At the date of his visit to Madrid Rubens was his a s a s in prime a painter and a man ,

n his fift - first havi g attained y year . With true diplomatic forethought b e paved the way for his mission by the generous gifts his Of prowess to the King , whose bent made him most accessible from the artistic point of a s attack . Though Philip was usual more dis posed to hang fire regarding matters political than to en ter with any zest or keenness into to sit to negotiations , he proved very ready n for his t Rube s por rait , and spent hours in the ’ artist s studio , which he daily visited . Of Four paintings the King were executed , and the entire Royal Family were po u rtrayed on ’ the canvas of Holland s star ; Archduchess Margaret (daughter Of the Emperor Maxi who w as n ow n u n one milian), a in Of the

numerous convents Of Madrid , also gave Sit

tings to Rubens . n P A large equestria portrait Of hilip I I . ’ swelled the number Of Rubens achievements , ” — and represents him at his worst if such a RUBENS A ND VELASQUEZ 4 1 word may be applied to him without artistic heresy ! ' T h e a e d is g , unhealthy face Of the monarch its anything but ennobled by crown of laurel . The very conception of the picture in its stiff formalism constitutes a ponderous and laboured Court compliment , none the more pleasing for being expressed in colours instead f O words . Rubens seems to have been favourably im p ressed with the intellectual abilities Of Philip IV . ” Well gifted both in body and mind , he wrote , this Prince were surely capable Of ruling in on good or evil fortune , did he rely more him s elf and defer less to his ministers ; but n ow he ” for pays the credulity and folly Of others , a sapient remark which neatly sums u p the state Of the case in a few words ; for the guiding brain and directing hand were not those Of

Philip , but Of Olivares . Du ring his twenty- two years at the helm Of n State , this powerful and unprincipled mi ister steered the ship rather to its destruction than its salvation , amidst the shoals and quicksands Of his oo the political sea . During t lengthy period Of ascendency Portugal , together with its extensive possessions in the Indies , was lost n to Spain , includi g territory after territory ; 4 2 VELASQUEZ while revolt and disturbance were of common occurrence at home and in Flanders . The pe nch an t for art Of this evil ge nius Of wa s Spain partly genuine , and partly assumed with the Object probably Of turni n g the atten tion Of his royal master into other channels than those legitimate for a ruler , and of thus making room for the twistings and turnings Of his own tortuous policy . Books innumerable were dedicated to Don Gaspar de Guzman ; Count of Olivares and Of Of Duke San Lucar , Patron the Arts and Sciences His library ranked as one Of the as w sights of the day , enriched it was ith literary treasures and curios Of every de scrip wa s tion . His mode of entertaining on a scale Of entirely regardless cost , while in his halcyon days the fame of the princely mode of life ff a ected by him travelled far and wide . The frien dship and patronage Of Olivares were a nd shared both by Rubens Velasquez , and on the arrival of the former at Court the then powerful minister acted the part of friend and patron with most advantageous results for the artist . Whatever his sins as a politician , the better side of Olivares ’ character apparently as came into play in private life , distinguished h e from his public career . At any rate , pos

44 VELASQUEZ

u Velasq ez and Rubens , and despite the con

ne ctin - n of u Of g li k nat ralism , these two men genius were at the same time disti n gu ished by

very diverse motives of aim and procedure . n e After long intimacy with Rube s , and a clos a study Of the best Italian masterpieces , Vel s quez conti n ued essentially true to himself as the faithful interpreter of nature through scrup u n lous Observation Of enviro ing phenomena . In contemplating the dazzling spectacles Of Rubens we are struck by the suggestion of exaggeration conveyed in their emphatically His h u grandiose style . Herculean types Of man ity display an almost aggressive exuberance h l of Of animal force , w ile the wea th colouring , u e s the gorgeo s draperi s , and the refulgent jewel bespeak a barbaric s plendour absent from the hi creations of Velasquez . The paintings Of s Flemish contemporary are magn ificent illustra tion s Of every phase Of the superlative in their

presentment Of the grand , the tragic , and the ff violent in life , action , and gesture , di ering as materially from “ translations Of the familiar impressions Of normal or mediocre surroundings as a tragedy of [Eschylu s differs from a rustic idyll . w as Velasquez , on the other hand , specially endowed with the capacity for penetrating with RUBENS A ND VELASQUEZ 4 5 f pro ound insight into the realities Of nature , as

pe rson ified by his living models . He was dis

’ tin uishe d n a w e te g for his , the frankness of his a e s Of dh ion to the truth the known actual , and the subordination Of his style to this touch s ne of to his art , namely , to be the faithful T t which I s imitator Of ha . Just as the n Of p ai te r Philip IV . leaned towards harmoni ous wa s moderation , just as he ready to sacri fice to so imagination the interests Of realism , in an e qual degree did Rubens aim at pomp , s a adh e r t teliness , and an almost ostentatious e nce to the gorgeous and the decorative .

T he longing Of Velasquez for a visit to Italy incre ased under the influence Of his friendship with Rubens until it finally came to a Climax a s an accomplished fact . ’ After much procrastination the King s p ro mse i s were fulfilled , and Velasquez was accorded ’ to a two years leave Of absence . In addition the retention Of his salary , he received a dona ti n of o four hundred ducats , which gift was followed by a substantial sum from th e Count e Duk , together with a gold medal bearing the likeness of Philip IV .

Pareja , the still faithful follower Of Velasquez , acc m o panied his master , and the two set sail 46 VELASQUEZ

on l oth 1 6 2 August , 9 , with Ambrosio Spinola the e n on board , redoubtable captain being — r ou te for the Duchy Of Milan where he was o as t act Commander Of the Spanish Forces ,

and direct the siege Of Casal . With what sentiments Velasquez first beheld — “ — Venice The Queen of the Adriatic we o leave t the vivid and sympathetic imagination .

As a matter Of fact , he was hospitably wel comed and entertained by the Ambassador Of n n for Spain , besides e joyi g every facility study in g the wondrous Charms Of the Fairy City ” ’ Ve la s ue z s Of the Sea . At the date Of q visit , the full glory of her noontide radiance was on already well the wane , its declining rays on falling slantwise the successors , and not of the persons , such mighty denizens Of the art as C aliari world Titian , Pordenone , Paolo , Paolo

Veronese , and Tintoretto .

The devotees Of these great leaders , though

numerous , were far from equalling their pre de ce ssors ; and wide was the gulf yawning between such disciples and the Objects Of their cult ! In vain they struggled to scale the n heights Of that sphere of ge ius , reached only “ ” by those to whom the gods have given W n i gs . I t is true that Alessandro Va rotari (or RUBENS A ND VELASQUEZ 47 11 P adova nino) to a certain extent recalled the style and grandeur of Veronese , whose methods he religiously followed , with the result that his Palazzo interiors suggest the same sense of space and loftiness his draperies the same rich luxury his figures the same nobility

of so Of t . mien , reminiscent the immor al Paolo

- - do Even the ill tempered looking species Of g, while belonging to the “ stage properties ” of

is the master , faithfully reproduced to snarl upon the scene . I n the achievements Of Pietro Liberi , echoes Of Titian !are awakened in the caverns Of me moryfl b u t the most successful pioneer Of the disciples may be written down as Turchi Turchi who had done so much to enrich the churches Of the city by his liberal expenditure of artistic energy . But at the date of Velas ’ que z s Visit to Venice Turchi had betaken him self to Rome . C H A P T E R V

F IR ST VISIT T O ROME

’ Ve ne tian art at the time Of Ve lasque z s vi sit He goe s — — ’ to Rome Roman artists M ichae l A nge lo s Last — — J udgme nt Raphae l His Vatican fre scoes Ve las ’ — que z s i nte rcourse with Roman painte rs His dwe lling — on the Pincian He falls ill His original work in Rome T or Of Vul n he F ge ca .

’ LE Ve las ue z s was H I in Venice , q time chiefly devoted to making copies of — “ ” the most noted pictures a Crucifixion and

s Last Supper (after Tintoretto). The e were s n to ubsequently prese ted by him Philip IV . At this epoch the school Of dark colouring— the Tenebrosi — was slowly but surely casting its dusky shadow over the brilliance Of the u Venetian art world , and Velasquez in co se que nce lived more in the past than in the

present , SO far as concerned the influences on a s n brought to bear him an artist in Ve ice .

His converse was with the dead , with the “ genius Of those whom the Wing Of Azrael 48 FIRST VISIT T O ROME 49 had swept from the Scene Of their Splendid triumphs ; and in his communings with the s n a nd pirits Of Titia , Giorgione , Tintoretto , other stars Of the Venetian constellation , Velas as quez gathered inspiration , he daily traversed “ ” his the stones Of Venice , and wended way ’ h into St . Marks cool dept s or to the halls of ’ the Doge s Palazzo . Unfortunately for the interests of his studies on the artist had fallen times Of strife , rather his than peace , and musings in Churches and galleries were somewhat rudely broken in upon by the war Of the Mantuan Succession . Fear in g lest his access to Rome might be cu t Off to l an were he de ay in Venice y longer , Velas quez bid a regretful fare well to the City of a hundred isles and proceeded on his pilgrimage

Romewards . He halted at Ferrara, where he met with a cordial reception from the Cardinal

Legate (Giulio Sachetti), formerly Papal Nuncio in Spain , but in his anxiety to press forward to his ultimate goal the artist only tarried two n days o the way . On his arrival at Bologna ‘ he withheld his letters Of introduction i to Lodovisi Cardinals and Spada , fearing lest their polite attentions should cause more delay . a id h Pushing on Loretto , e pursued his E 50 VELASQUEZ

e journey across the Apennines , and in due tim ba reached the Eternal City , where Pope Ur n V ff I I I . (Ma eo Barberini) and his nephew the Cardinal Barberini accorded him a most gracious welcome . A suite of apartments in the Vatican was Offered to the artist ; but n ot he did avail himself of that honour , pre ferrin g a more simple mode of life and lodg for ment . He petitioned , however , free access to was the Papal galleries , a favour which readily granted . ’ Good fortune ruled over Ve lasqu e z s Roman his experiences , as hitherto Over those of n a nd ative land . First foremost he was armed

n so with the very best introductio s , that he entered Rome under most auspicious circum n o stances ; and last , but by means least , he

- fille d carried a well purse , which ensured him freedom from any sordid anxieties . In short , everything contributed to add to his pleasure a n d facilitate his studies in that wonderful of region historic , classic , and artistic renown , where the dead past and the living present join ’ hands , under the shadow of St . Peter s mighty d s ome , towering like some colos al sentinel over the Eternal City . ’ of Ve la s u e z s At the epoch q visit , Rome happily differed from Venice in being the proud

52 VELASQUEZ “ n Who re Chapel , we i voluntarily murmur , da name Him h e Ent roned , with arm upraised high abov C the whirling louds Of human creatures , sum ’ mon e d before Him by the archangel s trumpet His blast , presence strikes upon the senses in overwhelming awfulness ; while the atmo sphere Of the scene throbs with the rush and of impact the thronging multitudes , as though a n f r Lucreti atoms had acquired individuality , o the enactment Of a cosmic and moral ' tragedy Of the I r r e voca ble replete with the immensity . Velasquez also studied and copied the works — of Ra phael that great representative Of the

u a n ism of n n H m the Re aissa ce , whose classical enthus ia s m is embodied in his celebrated Vatican

s frescoe . “ Awed by the s ound and fury of the

s tempe tuous Michael Angelo , though lost in “ admiration of his stupendous pictorial Pro ” he cie s p , we turn with something akin to t n relief o the exquisite balance , the Athenia “ ’ a nd of Sanity , moderation Raphael s deli cate l n y poised ge ius , whose sensitive per “ ” ce tion of Of p the spirituality , or soul , beauty is perfectly revealed on the walls Of the

- n Camera della Segnatura , in his well know “ ” f or frescoes O Poetry ( the Parnassus), FIRST VISIT T O ROME 53

or Of Philosophy ( the school Athens), ” “ Jurisprudence , and Theology . Many other chambers in the Papal Palace

are likewise embellished by the hand Of Raphael . Perhaps the greatest picture in the world— his — immortal Sistine Madonna now hangs in “ a the Dresden G llery . This and his Trans ” figuration (in the Vatican) are amongst the most famous Of his Oil - paintings ; while the ex tent and Splendour Of his other achievements coupled with his comparatively early death bear witness to the genius and industry Of this u artist as bein g nothing Short Of mirac lous . ’ of e la s u e z s At the period V q sojourn in Rome , many artists of the Bolognese School were

eithe r Visiting or dwelling in the Eternal City . Domenichino and Guercino were actively at work on some of their most celebrated pro ductions while Guido Reni was devoti n g him self alternately to the fascinations Of art and

of - the feverish excitement the gaming table . S uch a brilliant muster Of contemporaneous talent wrought magical results in the city ; the halls Of the Borghese and the Aldob randini were transformed by Arcadian landscapes ; Loves and Graces called into being by ’ Al n i s the witchery of b a skill , disported them “ selves amid the beauties Of a land where it is 54 VELASQUEZ always afternoon while churches and pal ace s the rose on all sides throughout Rome , under — auspices Of Bernini a genius of extraordinary capacity and versatility . c Though mixing freely in artistic so iety , Velasquez con trived to keep Clear of the end less jealousies and bickerings which ma r the h the armony Of pleasurable intercourse . With advance Of Spring the charms Of the Villa in Medici attracted him , and he succeeded Obtaining from the Government (through the instrumentality Of the Spanish Ambassador) a permit to take up his residence on that historic to spot , the gardens dating back the ownership of Lucullus . on f n Here , the wooded heights O the Pincia

Hill , Velasquez looked out over the entire circuit Of Rome ; and beyond the city to the Campagn a intersected by the meanderings of s the yellow waters of the Tiber , lying fathom f d beneath his feet . The villa itsel , at the perio

- Of under present notice , was a treasure house

antique marble sculpture , and the Spanish artist shared his dwelling with none other than the

matchless Venus of Adrian .

The romantic scenery of the grounds , their bosky shades and mysterious alleys of ilex e Of m e still exist , though in a stat co parativ FIRST VISIT T O ROME 55

neglect . The ancient terraces , crumbling under and the finger of Time , remain for the pausings p acings of the feet of the children Of the f twentieth century . Be ore their eyes the prim rose- hued evening sky turns to the neutral n shades of gathering ight , while the huge dome Of the finest temple in the world still looms in

solemn stateliness through the dusk . Unhappily for Velasquez his meditations in the Medici Villa were prosaically cut short in f two months by an attack of tertian ever , induced by the evil sprite malaria , which haunts the Pincian Hills in warm weather , ever ready to Swoop down on unwary and unacclimatised SO strangers . ill did the artist become that no alternative remained to him but to quit the Of was heights his picturesque retreat , and he therefore carried down into the city to be lodged close by the palace Of Monterey , from whom he received every kindness and attention , ’ besides the gratuitous attendance Of Monterey s private physician . Velasquez continued to reside in Rome for close upon a year and assiduously as he applied himse lf to the study Of the Italian masters , he never diverged from his own style in cons e — que nce following in this respect the example Of n Rube s. 56 VELA SQUEZ Some forms of i ndividua lity of genius a re to less varied , less open influence , than others . T Of hat Velasquez resembles the strong , vigor of ous growth the forest tree , rather than the pliable , versatile type , sinuous as some luxuriant tropical creeper . to or i i na l With regard g pictures , he only

painted three during his sojourn in Rome , n l amely , a Characteristic portrait Of himse f “ ” for Th e ( Pacheco), Forge Of Vulcan , and Joseph ’ s Coat — efforts ranking amongst the of most celebrated his works . to his n True artistic principles , Velasquez co tin ue d practically inaccessible to the abstract and the Ideal as well as to all preconceived

. A ctua lit no theories Of Beauty y , matter in how n u prepossessing a garb , attracted and kindled his genius as much as Idealisation left

it cold . “ In T he Forge of Vulcan the intense

Naturalism of the artist comes into full play .

- n n Despite their high sou di g titles , the denizens Of the Greek Pantheon (Vulcan and Phoebus “ Apollo) are more human than divine , even

' in a pagan sense . They have sunk far below

sta tus the level of their mythological , so to is n s peak . Vulcan but a brawny a d muscular

blacksmith ; Apollo merely a finely built , FIRST VISIT T O ROME 57

an athletic young countryman , essentially ” r man Of eve yday young , retailing a piece his bad news , the only indication of identity with the bright sun - god being the laurel crown his Of upon yellow hair , and the nimbus light his about head . The subtle symbolism of the Classics fails ’ to touch Ve lasque z s relentless Realism with an - f s y rose coloured tinge o Romance . The joy ’ and griefs of Homer s gods are , to the artist , merely vehicles for the free exercise Of plastic art , for skill in anatomy and technique , result in g in a masquerade of the Commonplace , in Olympian guise Doubtless Velasquez had no direct intention f Ne ve rth e o parodying the myths Of Greece . les s , classical subjects proved more provocative of his Andalusian mirth than incentives to imagination ; the humour evoked strongly re sembled parody in its grotesque irony Of the

Cervantes type . “ Th e Forge measures ten feet and a half in width and eight feet in height ; Vulcan a nd his Cyclops being grouped with strong dramatic

force . If Phoebus were pourtrayed with the s r ame t uthful power , the painting would be unsurpas sable ; as it is the figures stand out wit ste re osc0 ic h p clearness , the picture being 58 VELASQUEZ

for li ht to remarkable the various sources of g , has e which the artist had r course . Of The halo the god Apollo , shining on his uplifted arm , constitutes the most radiant in its point _ the whole scheme concentrated , sun - like brilliance diffusing rays into the i furthest recesses of the cavern , and falling n Shafts upon the swarthy forms of Vulcan and his attendants . The uncouth , unkempt Cyclops are craning forward their great heads after the ff fashion Of shaggy bu aloes . They seem anxious ’ to lose n ot a word of Apollo s tidings regard ” ing the latest scandal in celestial Circles ; at while Vulcan , having suspended his labours e the anvil , stands , with hammer hanging idl

his - n from hands , as he leaves the red hot iro to ool the C at leisure , his ugly face a prey to whole gamut of outraged emotions . The simul ta ne ous blending Of pathos with conflicting passion s furnishes a startling manifestation of ’ a s u e z s for as Ve l q skill the artist has , it were, seized the psychological moment of the myth in ical episode , and arrested it on his canvas da a manner ( best described by what Leonardo ” P r ntitudine Vinci terms the o .

60 VELASQUEZ ance with their model in other compositio ns — of his v as in the case sons . In the berea ed father we have a thoroughly Jewish phy sio n om g y ; typical small eyes , and elongated

nose . He has evidently only just been apprised of the loss Of Joseph for his arms are flung high in the first paroxysm Of horror at Sight of the

- n hi blood stai ed tunic . In s expression are mingled grief and anger ; with i ndications Of the dread suspicion that concealed cr ime may hi in reality be the origin of s bereavement . The sons of Jacob we have met before in ’ Vulcan s Forge ; but though the artist made

use of the same models , their air and bearing

. t wo are here more debased The spokesmen , whom their more shamefaced brethren have

thrust forward into an unenviable prominence , are the lowest type Of villain that ever vulgar ’ u z ised Ve la sq e s canvas . Both are in the act of trying to carry Off the situation with a loud - voiced assumption of irresponsibility concerning the supposed death of the youthful Joseph ; while behind their blustering self- vindication and aped compas sion there lurks a sneaking fear lest their guilt as “ accessories to the fact ” should be

detected . MADRID ROUT INE 6 1 Two of the remaining brethren are hanging on e back , taking in the situation with furtive his sidelong glances , another biting nails in

nervous embarrassment . The third (probably ha s a s Reuben) turned away , though unable to ’ his n bear the S ight Of father s a guish , and is i wi th tearing his ha r averted face . In respect of its luminosity the picture may be classed as a companion piece to the scene in the smithy only here the lights are somewhat ff n di erently disposed , comi g from behind and

- from the right hand Side , instead of from the

front and from the left a Shrubbery , or garden

- in blue green tones , being visible through the

- two good sized windows . For perfection Of technical execution the “ ’ ” n pai ting in every way equals Vulcan s Forge , — n for but its detail is less rich wit ess , instance , the total a n d conspicuous absence of the ’ many colours Of Joseph s coat . All the same , there is a pervading atmospheric “ ardour ” its forcibly Eastern in suggestion , together with the sharply defined emphatic shadows common in such latitudes . The dramatic

quality Of the work , conveying an impression

of actual life and movement , is startlingly vivid its in realistic strength . NO n e graving of the picture exists , and 6 2 VELASQUEZ

’ after hangi ng in (Napoleon s) Louvre for a s hort time , it was replaced in the Escurial . “ ” T he Forge still hangs in the Queen of ’ Gla iron Spain s Gallery . It was engraved by 1 8 in 79 . “ ’ Both The Forge Of Vulca n and Joseph s ’ Coat are striking examples Of Ve la sque z s to adhesion his own particular style , even in presence of the creations of Michael Angelo

and Raphael . Possibly he demurred at seeking to e mula te

the great Italian painters , recognising the more excellent way for him to consist in past “ mastership Of deli neation concerning the ” common Objects on the seashore Of ordinary surroundings ; and therefore preferring the rOle of realistic specialist to any attempted aerial flights i n to the mystical spheres Of

Idealism . ’ Hence the shortcomings Of Ve la s qu e z s ” oe For Ph bus . as the man in the street is not generally distinguished for beauty on a

ou r par with that Of an Apollo , artist would be un likely to find much suggestion Of soul

od- stirring loveliness , or g like deportment ,

- amongst models picked up in the market place ,

or the forge . And in so far as the departments of per MADRID ROUT INE 6 3 fe ction are innumerable , so the repulsive realism Of a Zola may treat Of La te r re or ’ L a ssommoi r with consummate Skill , and the hand of a Velasquez may excel (though so far more nobly) in the representation of swine herds or blacksmiths ; while spirituality of th ought and wsth e tics is made manifest by lovers of the abstract and the ideal . At the close of the year 1 6 30 Velasquez left a nd Rome for Naples , where the friend patron Of Pacheco , the Duke Of Alcala , was then n on Viceroy . The artist was here e gaged a portrait of the Infanta Dona Maria (sister Of

Philip IV . and now the wife Of King Ferdinand of Hungary), her picture being painted as a ’ f r ll memento o her brother s ga ery in Spain . SO well did Velasquez play his cards while in Naples , that he succeeded in gaining the good will and avoiding the jealous rivalry Of n his compatriot Ribera , the Valencia . This Of his two man , with the help blackguardly

C ore nzo allies , and Caracciolo , had inaugurated a species of tyrannical terrorism ” in the local kingdom of art . ’ At the time of Ve la squ e z s Visit the a r t Of wa s in Naples at the height Of its renown , cludi ng in its school many artists Of n ame and fame . But to all appearance the distinguished 64 VELASQUEZ visitor was chiefly attracted by the talent of Sta nzion i e n Massimo , an artist Of the Guido R i

. l n hi genus Although up til the , and despite s re Roman and Venetian experiences , he had p his e l served own style rigorously intact , V as quez seems to have become more pliant unde r this n e w influen ce ; for characteristics of the brilliant Neapolitan may be clearly and fro quently traced in future creations of the l Spanish Rea ist . l 1 6 1 o Whi e the year 3 was yet young , ur artist embarked on his homeward voyage and ’ having kept within the limit Of his two years of d leave absence , arrived once more in Madri simultaneously with the coming of spring

upon the earth .

He received a warm welcome from Olivares , n and acting upo the advice Of that minister, b e repaired a s soon a s possible to the presence of his royal patron to express his gratitude for the retention Of a monopoly Of the position of

Portrait Painter to His Majesty . The reception accorded to our artist by as b e Philip IV . w as gracious as that already stowed On him by Olivares ; the studio of the a rtist was removed by royal command to the North Gallery of the Alcazar (the Gallery del Cie r o e t g ), in dir ct communica ion with the MADRID ROUT INE 6 5 IV i private apartments of Philip . , whose V sits

- were a well nigh daily occurrence . For hours together the King was occupied in sitting to or Velasquez , in watching him at work , the first picture executed by the artist after his return from Italy being a portrait of the two

- year old Balthazar Carlos . of wa s The next event moment the project , on for n set foot by Olivares , a grand equestria

IV . statue of Philip , destined to grace the gardens Of the Buen Retiro , the Court Painter himself bei n g pressed into the service so that Velasquez was called upon to confer with the King and his favourite (Olivares) concerning of an adequate fulfilment the idea . After due cogitation the commission was given to Tacca , a Florentine sculptor ; while Of at the suggestion Olivares , Velasquez sup

- plied both an equestrian , and a half length portrait of Philip , to aid Tacca in Obtaining an c i a s ac urate fidel ty to attitude and likeness . These precautions were actually augmented by for oc a model , produced the casion by Mon tanes of Seville . The outcome of these elaborate preliminaries was a fine bronze equestrian statue ; which ’ manifestly bears the impress of Ve lasque z s genius . This is easily proved by a brief com F 66 VELASQUEZ

hi n parison of s painting with its bro ze echo ,

at present before the Royal Palace of Madrid . The statue itself belongs to the foremost ranks Of modern sculpture ; its prancing horse caracolling and pawing the air is “ mettle ” some in more senses than one , the fact of its being supported by the hind quarters only recalling to mind a similar class Of work con

u us . tig o with the St . Petersburg Admiralty ’ But at the date of its erection ( 1 640 ) Philip s was n statue unique Of its ki d , and considered little Short Of a stroke Of magic in mechanism . The on dit that none other than Galileo himself was responsible for the skilful preservation of ’ the horse s balance is very probably correct . To Tacca accrued the merit Of a Spirited and splendid piece of equestrian statuary , doing l “ court y justice to the royal rider , and dis tingu ish e d for beauty and perfection Of work 1 6 a s f r manship . The year 34 w memorable o n to Of Velasquez , owi g the marriage his daughter F rancisca to Juan Bautista del n Mazo . The circumstances atte dant on the mating Of the father , Oddly enough , repeated s themselves in the ca e of the daughter , for del ’ Ve l u z t b Mazo was asq e s pupil . Our ar ist O taine d permission to transfer the honour (formerly conferred on himself) Of Usher Of

68 VELASQUEZ ae sthetic sense ; whether he ever felt handi a an a s c pped , as rtist , by such a cumber ome f overplus O clothing .

Of d r Despite technical merit a very high or e , the fe ma le portraits of Velasquez lose some of their charm (to modern eyes), owing to the ir Of n outlandish formality costume , SO disfiguri g ” as n regards all natural grace or proportio .

The paintings of Philip I I I . and his Que e n were followed by an equestrian portrait of

- . in ass Olivares The Count Duke is attired cuir , h a dark sombrero on his head , and over is i shoulders a rich crimson scarf, adding ts brighter note with like effect to that produced ’ by a similar Splash Of colour in the artist s celebrated portrait of Philip IV . mentioned in a previous chapter . The favourite minister is riding an Andalus ian of ti bay , the same showy descrip on as the ff s mounts a ected by his royal master , and i looking backward upon a fictitious battle sup t posed to be in progress in the remote dis ance , under his auspices . His tout ensemble is that of the ideal Spanish of ’ m hidalgo a romanticist s drea . Naturally Velasque z gave of his bes t when depicting r his this powe ful helmsman of the State , own friend and patron . Indeed , Sir William Stir MADRID ROUTI NE 69 ling Maxwell says that the picture enjoyed so great a reputation in Spain (according to Cean Bermudez) that either praise or description of ” e it were superfluous . Portraits of Olivar s from the hand of Velasquez were many . After re re the equestrian , the next most notable p sents the Count and Duke of San Lucar in the meridian of his prosperity , standing forth for t adula ion , handsomely arrayed in black velvet , relieved by the green touches of the Calatrava n Cross and the ribbons o his cloak . Portraits seem to have fallen thick and fast as autumn to 1 6 8 leaves the share Of Velasquez and in 3 , when the Duke Of Modena arrived in Madrid for the purpose of standing godfather to the

Infanta Maria Theresa , he speedily gave the artist a commission . This was followed by a proof of his satisfaction in its fulfilment in the w shape of a gold chain , orn by the recipient on future high days and holidays . r n 1 6 Po traiture notwithstandi g , the year 39 found Velasquez branching out in a new dire c as tion , though to prove that realists are not necessarily bound down to the ground plan of daily experience . for The Crucifixion , painted by our artist the sacristy Of the Convent of San Placido , ’ Ve las ue z s strikes , as it were , a new note in q 7O VELA SQUEZ — artistic repertoire a note thrilling with sublime

pathetic agony . The realistic treatment of the sacred subject accentuates ou r realisation of the sublime im port to a degree almost painful in its Vivid intensity ; while the fact that n o dim landscape distracts the eye , that no lowering , darkened heaven s call upon the spectator to witness the desolat ion of the elements in presen ce Of their ’ Creator s dereliction , causes our gaze to be

riveted exclusively on the cross , which stands out from a background of profound black dark ” ness that can be felt . Of The bowed head , the shadowy masses

- hair , the blood stained and bleeding brow , the

anatomy Of the Holy Body , all are depicted

with a commingled strength and feeling , elo

quently testifying to the genius Of Velasquez , and to his warm - hearted devotion as a Spanish l Catho ic . C H A PTE R V I I

T HE DWARF PORTRAITS

’ — Velasquez s portrait of Admi ral Parej a Impre ssionismand — sce ne - painti ng The portrait of the Admiral dece ives — “ — Philip The Dwarf picture s The re volt in Catalonia — ’ The Court move s to Saragossa Ve lasquez s picture s in a this pl ce .

H E sacristy Of San Placido , for which Velasquez painted his famous picture of ” no The Crucifixion , was certainly fit abode for any masterpiece its on e unglazed window only served to make visible the darkness of the r miserable cell . Here , alas the picture e mained in Obscurity (in every sense of the “ ” word) until King Joseph discovered it , when sa at last it w the light Of day once more . It e e was finally put up for sale in Paris , wher Duk Ferdina nd bought it to present to the Spanish

Royal Galle ry . In the same year that our artist produce d his “ ” repre sentation Of T he Crucifixion he painted the Of portrait Don Adrian Pulido Pareja ,

Admiral of the Fleet and Knight of Santiago . 7 2 VELASQUEZ In this picture many have recognise d the Of H e rr e r a methods , so much SO that the hand of the erstwhile pupil might have been under Of Th s guidance of that his first master . e ame e s kind of exceptionally long brushes wer u ed , and the whole composition is dashed off ” with that hold empr esse me n t Of style peculiar to the v n olca ic Herrera . From a suitable distance the portrait is e x — traordin arily realistic quite stereoscopic ; but on nearer approach the impression re solve s itself into more or less of a conglome ration of a of blotches , somewhat after the fashion closely- inspected scene - painting ; while tenta tive suggestion whispers Of the possibility that

- d scene painting as such may , after all , be secon ,

third , or fourth cousin to Impressionism , an unrecognised vulgar relation belonging to

a lower stratum Of art life . t Viewed from the seats of the heatre , a present- day Lyceum landscape could well - nigh deceive the very elect but on closer acquaint “ ” ance the e nchantment of illusion , lent by a e distance , materialises into a magnified exp ns and of paint blotched canvas , the charm myste ry of its cleverly - depicte d scene ry o uS as we a o receding fr m by degrees ppr ach , i s until it s altoge the r lo t . T HE DWARF PORT RAIT S 7 3 That the sensational n ature of extreme Impressionism characterised the Admiral ’ s por ff on trait , is fully proved from its e ect Philip

IV . himself. ’ n Ve las ue z s Strolling one morni g into q studio , the King was startled and annoyed to see Admiral Pareja (apparently) loungi ng in a u to d sky corner Of the room . According royal commands he ought to have been on the high ’ seas . Philip s angry interrogation met with n o n respo se , and His Majesty very soon made the astounding discovery that he had been addressing a picture instead of a man . This gives some idea of the realistic powers Of ou r artist —powers that could call up the image of ff the absent so e ectually , that even to an ha bitué of his studio the illusion was complete . r s With reference to po traiture , there remain ’ V e las u e z s as a strange province of q art ,

Court painter , that we have not as yet alluded to , and which very probably would have proved a source of disgust rather than satisfaction to

- a man of hyper sensitive , fastidious tempera ment . Were it possible for us to put our own “ clock Of time back to the era Of Velasquez ; and were we then to contrive a visit to the n Alcazar of Madrid , we should find amo gst s its splendour Ugliness , cheek by jowl with 74 VELASQUEZ Beauty ; we Should see the freakish moods f and of morphology embodied be ore our eyes , confronting us at every turn in the person of D r s of the wa f . These grotesque caricatures u n x h ma ity , if judged by their e treme ugliness , would seem utterly undeserving of the immor tality which artistic genius has conferred upon n o them . They appear rather to have merited better fate at the close of their lives than to be bottled in spirits and consign ed to a she lf n in some laboratory as pathological specime s . to f ve Some of them appear be on the de ensi , or in a fume of suppressed resentmen t against e m the normal faces and figures surrounding th , a mood which only serves to make their own u s deformity more frightf lly apparent . Vela ’ ” que z s clever painting Of Sebastian Morra seated on the ground and glaring into space with comic ferocity , is graphic enough to call Of forth the remark Justi , that we no sooner see the picture than we instantly ex pect to be greeted by a torren t Of abusive language from its choleric subject . Velasquez took portraits Of five of these little creatures and in one of his most famous pain tings Las Meninas (or The Maids of o — f o Pe rtusano H nour the dwar s Nicolasit , , h nf and Maria Barbola , act as foils to t e I anta

76 VELASQUEZ

n to powerful mi ister , he seems have de rived a ’ n mela choly pleasure from El Primo s company , often taking him out in his carriage . This dwarf’ s portrait by Velasquez hangs in the ’ Madrid Gallery , together with the artist s other ff n pictures Of bu oo s , idiots , and dwarfs . All were executed about the same time , between the years 1 644 a nd 1 648 ; the B obo de Cor ia “ “ ( or Laughing Idiot and the Boy of B a llicas being remarkable for their humorous style of treatment— although it is the humour of a nightmare in Bedl a m ! According to in Carl Justi , Velasquez took more genuine te re st in freaks than in the normal creations of

Nature , and laid more stress on peculiarities n than o the harmony Of beauty . This was n rather fortu ate under the circumstances , as chance threw in his way exceptionally repel a s n in lent types , well as fashio s dress marked by monstrous perversions Of good taste . ’ las ue z s n Therefore Ve q success in delineatio , which stood in almost inverse ratio to the ” ae sthetic value Of his subjects , was peculiarly suited to the age in which he lived . PVhy the grotesque and the abnormal pos sessed such strong attraction s in those days is a psychological riddle “ monstrous hard to ” n read , and co stitutes a problem of no small THE DWARF PORTRAIT S 77 inte rest for any student Of the human mind . Duri ng the Italian Renaissance we constantly com e across examples Of this peculiar pen ch an t ’ c a f h racterising some o Italy s greatest men . What else but a love Of the grotesque could h a to ve induced Leo X . order monkeys and c u rows to be served up at papal banq ets , and C a rdinal Vitelli to choose forty - four dwarfs as waiters at a feast which he gave in Rome ! T h e sketch- books Of Leonardo da Vinci are full of ghastly and extraordinary reminiscences of l idiots , crimina s , and clowns ; while he a o to ll wed lizards , newts , toads , and vipers “ make his studio lively with their crawli ngs an d hoppings . The same curious development may have b e en responsible for the creations of Piero di Cosimo— who delighted to expend his genius a nd his on energy the delineation Of a dragon , or a satyr a nd whose very landscapes seemed under some witchery of enchantment , conjured up by the distorted imagination of a fevered u n ad brain . But we might m ltiply i stances l ibitum; and we will only pause before con cluding this digression to remark th a t to us the nearest approach to a sol ution of the problem lies in the fact that certain influ e nces act of upon , and reach certain frames mind , in 78 VELASQUEZ so far as the psychical sugge stion conve yet accords with the mental state of the s ubjec1 e x ce tiona influenced ; abnormal brains , or p vibr a tin Sin ula rl natures , sometimes g to a g j peculiar keynote ' Whilst the hand of Velasquez was im mortalising dwarfs and other parodies O e that humanity , in paintings more like gnom s

c a ~ men and women , and whilst such bizarre re tion s were casting the Spell of the un canny ove 1 n of a the Norther Gallery the Alcazar , the politic situation reached the climax of its gravity it Of s the revolt Of Catalonia . The policy Olivare “ had proved a veritable sowing Of dragons ” a nd n an c teeth , he ow reaped the gruesome unwelcome harvest of an all too plentiful cm; ” of n to anc armed men , spri ging up the right left Of what had once been a flowery path n The inhabitants Of Barcelona , after first putti g of th( their Viceroy to death , took possession f Mon uich h s ortress Of j , w ere they clasped hand

r Nor w s with a formidable French gar ison . a this all . Portugal quickly took the cue fron its opposite frontier , and seizing the Opportunity ff n e th t O ered by neighbouri g disaster , slipp d of ack nowle d e c collar Spanish control , and g the Duke of Braganza as king . “ Such a piling Of Pelion on Ossa was T HE DWARF PORT RAIT S 79 enough to rouse even the sluggish tempera so ment Of a Philip the Fourth , and the King far shook Off his lethargy as to try the effect of his presence on the Catalans , in the hope that it a we might perchance them into submission . In 1 6 2 in 4 , therefore , the entire royal household ( cluding Velasquez , the Court actors , and prob se t a ably the dwarfs) out for Sar gossa , the n first halt in the progress bei g at Aranjuez . This veritable Arcadia is situated in a Shel te re d valley and embowered in forest trees , its beauty being enhanced by an “ architectural romance ” in the shape of a palace fit for a f airy prince . Long white arcades and gilt vanes shine and glint amongst the green leaves

Of the woodland , while below the walls of the palace the waters of the Tagus and the Xa rama

flow and commingle . Travellers from La Mancha may still refresh both eye and brain with the sight afforded by

Aranjuez , and Share in Spirit the raptures of

Old Castilian poets over this earthly paradise . For a long period the island garden was left to

its is waste sweetness unheeded , but happily it for once more well cared . The sylvan land its of scape , with wealth verdure , its dense — aven ues shady as an incense - dimmed cathe dral nave— its statues and cool splashing foun 80 VELASQUEZ

of . e n th tains , recall the days Philip IV , wh e a n Court made gay the solitudes , and the tw ngi g and thrummi ng of guitars accompanied the n s Si ging Of birds and the buzzing of insect .

T O- - n day the water pipes , SO dexterously co ce ale d in s no the topmost branches of the tree , longer surprise unwary visitors with their mimic showers . The fountains alone are active , while all the fantastic pageantry that transformed the forest and gardens Of Aranjuez into scene s worthy Of record by the pen Of a Greek mytho poet , have long since passed away . But the camels , those relics of Moorish Orientalism , to fro may be seen to this day , stalking and , r n of fetching and car ying , as in the reig of Philip I I . , in the service garden cultivation . s Here , surrounded by woods , rose bloom ,

flowe r- s running waters , and bright beds , Vela on his quez wandered in attendance royal patron, or watched from some bowery nook the mys te rious e play Of light and shade , the danc of n Of the hours through the su lit realms day , to the Silver sheen of moon and stars at night I t ’ fall . is to the artist s sojourn at Aranjuez that we owe his charmi ng park views and Of sketches garden scenery . The Royal Gallery “ re ce table was the p of some , The Avenue of ” the Queen , for instance , and a study of The T HE DWARF PORT RAITS 8 1

Fountain of the Tritons . The former picture represents a stately avenue of splendid elms meeting overhead , their density only penetrated by a single shaft of sunshine at the far end . “ ” This tunnel Of greenery starts from the Palace Gate and is twice crossed by the River W Tagus , hose waters reflect the shimmering leave s of the avenue where it finally merges in a thicket of weeping willows and elms still ” life , animated by a group Of figures from the

Court , Velasquez having depicted three Sixes in - hand between a double line of cavaliers just ’ - about to pass the park ranger s barrier . CH APTER VI I I

OLIVARES FALLS

— — The Court at Cue nca Re turn to Madrid Fall Of Olivares

- — His adopte d son JulianillO Ve lasque z pai nts J uli an ’ — — illO s portrait His last portrait Of Olivares Sympathy — of Ve lasque z with the falle n ministe r The rebe llion in — — Catalonia Philip take s the fie ld Be si ege s and captures — ’ — Lerida Ve lasquez s picture on the occasion De ath of ue e n sabe lla— ortra ts of the r nce Of the A stur as Q I P i P i i .

N June Philip IV . repaired with the Court

to Cuenca , remaining for a month in that Old to romantic city , where he seems have Occupied himself chiefly with hunting and the drama . After a brief sojourn at Molina , he finally proceeded to Saragossa— having taken

to . his journey easily , say the least Whether any real good came Of the King ’ s northern progress is a question better left without an r n answer. Ce tai ly he took but scant share in the Of campaign , and one the best results seems to have been the effect of “ the progress on ’ Ve las ue z s ff q art , as it a orded him the chance of studying the pictorial aspect of affairs

82

84 VELASQUEZ his own hand the rope that might surely have re scued him from out Of the deb ris Of Shatte red fortune . It was owing to the influence Of Olivare s ’ that Julia nillo s reputed father had been made to acknowledge his son ; and the child gre w up anything but a credit to the efforts made on ou t ill his behalf, turning a worthless , no one conditioned youth , sooner free of s crape than he was landed in another . Shipped off his to try luck in Mexico , he went from bad to worse ; at one time only escaping the ’ of hangman s clutches by the skin his teeth . He was next heard of in Flanders serving as a common soldier ; and after following the l n same avocation in Ita y , he turned up agai like a bad penny in Spain— happily for him at the crucial moment when Olivares had jus t buried his only daughter , and with her all f hopes Of any law ul descendants . The Count ulia n illo Duke at once appropri ated J , and threw him into the breach caused by the untimely death of his sole surviving child . By the bold stroke of adoption he constituted the young “ ” man unders tudy in his unscrupulous man vre s ce u , which had for their Object the wre ck — of the prospects of his kinsmen those hate d scions Of the Houses of Medina - Sidonia and OLIVARES FALLS 8 5 Carpio— against whom he seems to have har

boured a bitter hatred .

Bent as he was upon his spiteful project , the Count- Duke gladly utilised even so unpromising ulia n illo to an instrument as J . In addition his Don naming him heir , under the title Of

Henrique de Guzman , and causing his previous to con disgraceful marriage be dissolved , he trive d to bring about an alliance between thi s adopted son and a daughter of the Constable of Castile , besides loading him with Orders , ffi t high o ces of State , and honorariums withou ’ “ ” end . Olivares iniquities in this direction were at last consummated by a wild scheme for raising the base - born adventurer (at one time a street - Singer in Madrid) to the position

of - Of Governor the Heir Apparent, together with the mad ambition for the ultimate eleva tion of his protégé to the Spanish Premiership One of the many ways chosen by the Count Duke for introducing Julianillo was to order his For portrait to be painted by Velasquez . he merly the property of t Count of Altamira , ’ this picture n ow hangs in Lord Ellesmere s gallery .

- It represents a dark complexioned , pensive — Castilian , whose looks according to the por — trait we re no index Of his character ; and 86 VELASQUEZ thus Velasquez displayed to the world a digni fie d w Spanish nobleman , ith no trace about him to indicate how factitious such nobility was in reality . He is dressed in the bravery befitting his recent exaltation in life one hand holds a blue

and white plumed hat , the other an ensign of of his s one numerous Orders . The Cros of s Alcantara on his breast , however , only serve to add irony to the glaring— almost comic incongruity Of the Situation as it h as subse

quently come down to history . Merely the upper part of the picture is com le te d p ; a Significant sign , probably indicative of “ ” the rapid flash Of this comet of a season across the political darkness Of the period ; a of brief blaze , and the cynosure all eyes Shot forth into those spheres which are beyond the — historical ran ge Of vision or the telescope Of

research . Out of Obscurity back into Obscurity n O ce more . ’ Ve la ue z s f n ow in sq last portrait O Olivares , ’ was the Duke of Westminster s collection , ’ In painted shortly before the minister s fall . n n a the foregrou d the I fant Balthazar Carlos , a n boy of about twelve , sits pranci g horse , a off dwarf in his rear ; while a few paces Olivares ,

in th Of - s e capacity Court riding master , stand

88 VELASQUEZ

off a a Toro on the Douro , cut from M drid by

- distance Of thirty seven leagues . n and Here the unhappy man broke dow , became a prey to profound melancholy unde r “ ” the dreary tedium of his burial alive ; the very stagnatio n of such a n existence consti tute d an acute form Of suffering after ye a rs ne lived at high pressure in Court and Cabi t . The tender mercies Of Philip towards his for mer favourite were thus far more cruel than if for he had signed a warrant his execution , in

- a nd- me diznval a rough ready way , and exhibited his head in a public square after the methods ae of C sar Borgia . As it was he wou nded his minister to the and i a death , then left him to die by nches of

broken heart . Two years passed before the tragedy was played out ; and whether intellect gradually Of ff n ca n loosened under the strain su eri g , we Of in not tell , though rumours dealings magic side by Side with melancholia have an ugly s ignificance . Gall and wormwood were added to the already bitter portion of Olivares by the in gratitude Of the majority of those whom he n e W e in a and h had be efit d hil pl ce power . T e two most promine nt exceptions were the Grand OLIVARES FALLS 89

n Inquisitor and Velasquez . When the Cou t ’ Duke s experiments in the Black Art had got noised abroad the Inquisitor quietly averted all further danger just at the critical time when the Holy Offi ce was about to institute pro ce e dings ; and the object Of such solicitude was probably within measurable distance Of an even worse fate than the one he already

endured . ’ Ve lasque z s sorrow for the loss and social death Of his distinguished patro n proved ge n uine to the core . He even visited the exile in — his place of banishme nt a bold and most un in conventional proceeding those days , when fallen statesme n and disfavoured favourites

were regarded more or less as pariahs .

In justice to Philip IV . it must not be for gotte n that the artist in nowise suffered for

openly befriending Olivares after his disgrace . Possibly the Ki ng admired Velasquez all the Of his n more for having the courage opinio s , and in the very same year he was raised to the

dignity of Gentleman of the Royal Chamber . During the years 1 643 and 1 644 Velasquez

travelled with the Spanish Court to Aragon . ’ It was the epoch Of Condé s triumph on the Rocro an d for field of y, Spain active measures

had become imperative . The power of the 99 VELA SQUEZ

n as rebels in Catalonia , augme ted it was by n o n un French allies , could longer remai n recko ed with , and Philip at last rose to the Of hi demands the situation . Very possibly s freedom from the sway of Olivares went fa r to arouse him from the inertia Of his protracte d ff lethargy concerning a airs of State . Now that there was no political wire - puller to relieve him was in com e l of all exertion , he a measure p le d a nd r to think act for himself, compelled to besti his l himself, stretch imbs and clutch the re ins Of a government with a firmer grasp . Roy l ” progresses were not the sum total of his

n . n a achieveme t this time On the co tr ry , he decided to take the field in person , and he man headed his troops like a soldier and a , pomp and regal purple notwithstanding . After besieging Lerida with all the skill of a as practised tactician , the King w rewarded by th a triumphal entry into the city on August 7 , 1 6 on 44 . He himself was chief actor the military stage , and was gorgeously arrayed f r - rOle Of n o the title co quering hero . Velasquez immortalised the event in all its n d rich caparisoni g of gol and jewels , glint and glitter , nodding plumes and royal magnificence ; while at Court the victory of Spain caused a e fll ore sce nce Of i perfect rejoic ng .

9 2 VELASQUEZ

- s quez . Three full length portrait , wherein he figures either in shooting costume or Court dress , hang in the Royal Gallery of Madrid , while another (belonging to a private colle c of tion rarities) is enumerated by Sir W . Stirling Maxwell as a picture excelling in Of lustre and brilliancy colouring . Velasquez also painted the young hopeful as ’ a small edition Of his royal father s eques — a trian portraits dressed after the same f shion , cuirass and red scarf all complete , the chief difference in the replica being the round boyish of face the miniature horseman . CHAPTER IX

ITALY ONCE MORE — The Surre nde r Of Bre da Ve lasque z visits Italy for the — — — se cond time His purchase s in Ve nice Naples He — re ne ws acquaintance with Ribe ra Don J uan Of A ustria m e e ts be ra . The conse ue nce s Of t e r ac ua nt II . Ri q h i q i

ance .

F those historia ns are right who have fixed 1 647 a s the date of the great picture The ” “ ” Of The Surrender Breda , called also Lances , from twenty- nine Of those weapons which are

such a conspicuous feature in the work , it is ’ certainly strange that the King s Court- Painter should have postponed the represe ntation Of an exploit which brought SO much glory to

n n ot - Spai , merely till twenty two years after the event , but until ten years after the bul wark of Fla nders had been once more wrested by the House of Orange from Spanish dominion .

n ffi Setti g aside the di culty as to the date , e th as how ver , e subject w undoubtedly worthy Of con the foremost painter of his age . The 94 VELASQUEZ quest Of Breda was probably the most brilliant ’ e inola xploit of Sp s caree r , eclipsing in glory he n t capture of Ostend . For his happi ess , in

this world at least , it would have been well had he died at the mome n t that the keys of the

City were delivered to him , for his next cam p aign was destined to sound the k nell Of royal

and popular favour . His command in Italy Of was hampered , in spite his immense prestige

as a general , and the unmerited disgrace under which he almost immediately afterwards sank into the grave was in sorrowful contrast to the glory with which Spain and his native re public of Genoa had crowned him but a few

“ years earlier . It may be that the great , but undeserved Opprobrium which the Italian cam a i n p g brought upon Spinola , induced Velasquez to postpone the painting of the surrender of

Breda . Be this as it may , the artist possessed

exceptional qualifications for the task . In 1 6 2 9 he had been thrown into intimate com p an ion s hip with the great captai n on their

voyage between Barcelona and Genoa . The f n s eatures , the form , the very man erism of Ambrosio Spinola must therefore have become Of perfectly familiar to the keen eye Velasquez , and the picture itself shows that the artist was — painting not from his imagination a thing he

96 VELASQUEZ

d in bowed , he leans forward , resting his han kindly sympathy upon the Shoulder of his foe a s s in vanquished , though to empha ise of Ge r presence the Spaniards , Hollanders , who in mans , and French looked on , that surrendering the Right Eye of the Neth e r ” ’ n n ss lands , Justin s honour remai ed as stai le Of n ia as that the conqueror himself. Spi ola deed takes no heed Of the proffered key which

Justin holds . All his thoughts seem to b e concentrated upon administering co nsolatio n ca n him to his late enemy , and we almost hear ’ remind Justin that the Victor s fame depe nds As upon the courage of the vanquished . a h as ss French writer finely said , his graciousne and urbanity are almost enough to make a man wish that he could lose a citadel for the of pleasure handing him its keys . Such was the monument which Velasquez s raised to the gentlest , bravest , and mo t — h umane captain of his day a monument more enduring tha n brass and more fitted to touch the hearts of those for whom he had fought

and conquered . The garrison Of Breda had surrendered on terms honourable both to themselves and to s their foes . With flag flying , with drums beat in g, bearing their loaded arms , the infantry IT ALY ONCE MORE 97 set out from the Hertogenbosch Gate , led by of what remained the decimated cavalry , who were mounted and equipped as if on the field of battle . Under flying streamers , and amid e Of the blar trumpets , the gallant but exhausted ’ army made its way towards B ala n con s quar ters , where Spinola , surrounded by princes and nobles , awaited its arrival . Then took place the scene which Velasquez has immortalised . 0 n The central figures , upon which an actual ’ looker s gaze would naturally be riveted , are of course the most conspicuous , and the very scanty details of military movement and the mere suggestion Of the fortress in the middle dista nce do nothing to divert attention from

the two commanders . And yet Velasquez has contrived with consummate Skill to depict the staffs of the two armies in such a way that Wa while the canvas is in no y overcrowded , and while a n ope n Space is left for the meeti ng ’ Of n Spinola and Justin , the spectator s imagi a tion is instantly fired with the idea of thousands of armed men drawn up on either Side in battle f array beyond the range o the picture . Those who form the group nearest to Spinola are

readily identified from records and portraits . Of Others outside the immediate circle grandees ,

though evidently likenesses , are more doubt H 9 8 VELASQUEZ

Of fully recognisable . The same may be said ’ Justin s suite . The treatment of the landscape in the background is in the highest degree masterly . Here again , on a comparatively is small canvas , an impression of magnitude th e conveyed . And this time it is not merely w imagination which is a akened , for by a beauti ful device of perspective we are shown a wide and extensive landscape with the River Merk n in lit up by the sun , the lowla ds quivering of hot the uncertain haze the June morning, and in the middle distance the redoubt Of the w two the inner lines . Bet een the groups in foreground we se e the march of the surrendered garrison , followed by the Spanish lancers .

Upon this space the brightest light is thrown , a nd thus it serves as an admirable background for of n the figures Spinola and Justin . Agai , the whole scheme of light in the lan dscape throws into relief the warm hues Of the f O . Opposing groups , with their wealth colour We seem indeed to breathe the very atmo of sphere the bright June morning , which has sen t its joyous glow upon this sce ne Of recon ciliation and peace .

In 1 647 Velasquez had been appointed in spector Of the work of partially rebuilding the

100 VELASQUEZ

’ e as e z Da Vinci s Last Supper at Milan , V l qu a ma n hastened on to Venice . In that city only needed artistic acumen and a long purse to gather together as princely a collection of ss pictures and curios as he cared to posse . Our artist was well provided with both these the qualifications . Of his judgment relating to ge nuineness of art treasures there could not b e Of a doubt , while the length his purse was only f ’ limited by that o Philip s own . But for once the good fortune of Ve lasquez his failed him , at least in part ; for sojourn in Venice seems to have occurred at a period of comparative slackness in the artistic market. Before leaving Madrid he had assured Philip that if he went to Italy he would bring back and the choicest works of Titian , Raphael , ” “ . fe w others For , he added , there are s princes who possess pictures by these master , and least of all to such an extent as your ” h B ut majesty Shall acquire throug my zeal . so far as Venice was concerned his success d was less brilliant than he had anticipate . Before his arrival a tapestry copied from one of the cartoon s was sold to a purchaser who Of had outbid the Earl Arundel . And in th e e ars w f w u n y hich ollo ed his depart re from Ve ice , the marke t contained treasures which the artist IT ALY ONCE MORE 1 0 1 would certa inly have bought had they been his For n a available during visit . i st nce , ’ ” Tintoretto s wonderful Marriage Feast , and ’ one of Titian s works were Offered for sale in 1 6 of 57 , in consequence the suppression Of I I two religious houses by Alexander V . The

Marriage Feast was bought for the Salute . Still this visit to Ven ice enabled Velasquez th l to add five pictures to e royal co lection . Among them was a Veronese (the Venus and n ow n Adonis) in the Prado , and a Ti toretto , a sketch of the master ’ s principal work in t the Gran Consiglio . Velasquez regarded his the as his greatest acquisition . Altogether Venetian purchases amounted to twelve thou sand crowns . NO sooner had Velasquez reached Rome r for a than he immediately sta ted N ples , where to he was presented Onate , the Viceroy , who of had been requested , in the letter introduction him which the artist brought , to help in his mission . His Object in visiting Naples was to Obtain t bronze and plaster cas ings , but readers Of the present day will feel more interest in the ac quaintance which h e renewed with his distin

- m uish e d use e . g fellow country an , J p Ribera a a Twenty ye rs had p ssed since they last met , 102 VELASQUEZ a nd to both artists th e period had been an the eventful one . Ribera as Court painter to of a a Viceroy N ples , and Velasquez holding had for similar position in Madrid , both won a an themselves undying fame . But to Riber event had occurred which embittered his life and su The turned his ccesses into Dead Sea fruit . artist whose unrivalled “ Pieta” displays the very e d ideal Of human sorrow , was himself destin to endure a grief the most poignant that ca n ’ d e s pierce a father s heart . He had two aught r . The beauty of the younger still appeals to u s of two s as after the lapse and a half centurie , ’ we gaze on her fa ther s great painting of the ” a for was Imm culate Conception , which she h to the model . T is picture , destined adorn the a high altar in the church of St . Isabell in wa s 1 6 6 s Madrid , finished in 4 . Twelve month a son later Don Juan , the natur l of Philip , d appeared in Italy . In Naples he ma e the or acquaintance of Ribera , who painted his p trait . But one miserable day the a rtist invited e n e Don Juan to his home . At an evening t r t ain me nt this bastard sprig of royalty made s the acquaintance of the beautiful Maria Ro a , ’ had Ribera s youngest daughter . The father reason to curse his folly in admitting in to his home a guest whose sole attraction lay in his

CH A PTER X

SECOND VISIT T O ROME

— - Rome in 1 650 Visi t ofVe lasque z His artist contemporari es — The Pope commissions him to pai nt his portrait B iffi — — cultie s of the task Portrait of J uan de Parej a Of — — I nnoce nt Characte ristics of portraiture Admiration ’ — e xcite d by I nnoce nt s portrait Ve lasquez colle cts art — tre asure s Re turns to M adrid.

OME was full to overflowi n g with strangers when our artist paid his second visit to

1 6 0 e the city in the year 5 . The great Jubile was m about to open , and im ense throngs of m o s pilgri s poured into the t wn . Every clas was represented— from the princes of royal who e houses and wealthy nobles , had com a nd to from far near , down the humblest Catholic who could afford to make the journey Of d and defray the cost his lo ging . But Rome was not just then the most com fortable of abode for a subject Philip . The high - handed and insolent conduct of the

Spanish enlisting agents , who had even the

audacity to molest some Of the pilgrims , must SECOND VISIT T O ROME 1 0 5 have tended to interfere with the popula rity and comfort of their more peaceful fellow countrymen . And the irritation Of the Roman populace was scarcely appeased even by the triumph which they achieved in defence of a party of pilgrims who had been attacked by the Spanish agents in the Piazza of St . Peter . ffi on The obnoxious recruiting o cers were , this

occasion , overpowered by the sturdy peasants

and promptly lodged in gaol . The eminent position which Velasquez had a s l now attained , as well the essential y pacific

character of his mission , no doubt raised him in great part above the turmoils in which some

of his compatriots were engaged , and though his to nationality was against him , he seems have mixed with the highest artistic circles in

Rome . These distinguished groups included

Calabrese , the great fresco painter , who com ’ ple te d Lanfranco s unfinished wo rk in Sant as Andrea ; well as Pietro Berettini , whose

scenes from Virgil , with which he decorated P a mfili a two of the rooms in the Palace , bec me so famous that they were copied by the Flemish

tapestry makers , and whose name , Pietro di ” Cortona , was changed by a happy anagram “ into corona de pittori ; besides these we m ust mention Nicholas Poussin , who then 1 06 VELASQUE Z

Al a rdi lived in Rome , and g , a native of e Bologna , then in the zenith of his care r , which was destined to be cut short a fe w months later by his premature death . The is greatest work Of this sculptor his Leo I . ” and Attila , executed for the altar of St . Leo , ’ in St . Peter s . Philip IV . secured a Silver model of this relief, cast from the original , but whether Velasquez h ad any share in n Obtai ing it or not is Open to conjecture . Perhaps the chief celebrity in Rome in that d age Of giants , one who towere above most of his fellows , was Salvator Rosa . His house was the resort of all the a rt connoisseurs of the city , and we are gravely assured that he could n ot stroll through the streets and piazzas without being surrounded by a kind Of guard Of honour consisting of m of e poets and usicians , all them ager to ’ attract the great man s attention . Velasquez had been sent to Italy to buy Of a artistic treasures , and yet works by Ros find his u we no trace among purchases . J sti suggests a political explanation of this curious

. was fact Salvator Rosa a keen patriot , and when the insurrection of Massanie llo broke h ad n ve out , he hastened to Naples , his ati

a nd d his - s country , thus isplayed anti Spani h

1 08 VELA SQUEZ

his upon a portrait of servant Juan de Pareja , wa s who himself, later on , an artist Of no mean sort . When finished , the portrait was sent by the hand Of Pareja himself to the studios ’ o e nth u Of s me Of the painter s friends , and so s ia stic was their admiration that they declared themselves in doubt which was the origi nal and which the picture ! On the Feast of St . Joseph in that yea r it wa s exhibited with other paintings in the Pantheon , where it excited to such wonder , according Andreas Schmidt , “ who n was then in Rome , that in the u animous n Opinion of the painters Of various ationalities , ” a ll else seemed painting , this alone truth . The success of this portrait Opened to Ve la sque z the doors of the Roma n Academy of

St . Luke .

- le Pareja is shown in half length . The frizz d

- l hair , the out turned ips and depressed nose , display the Africa n type . But the bold eyes and the whole pose Of the man suggest more the hidalgo of Spain than anything of the NO b e servant . doubt was well aware that his features were to be scanned by the leading a e critics of Rome , and this reflection may h v lent a certain haughtiness to his air. Doubt too n less , , he felt the honour of bei g painted

as cor us by Velasquez , even , in this case , as a p SECOND VISIT T O ROME 1 09 vil e a s , on whom the artist w to get his hand d back into practice . And it was surely cre it ’ able in Pareja to wish to sustain his master s n so to reputatio , and cause people exclaim , “ h - If t is is the colour grinder , what must the artis t be In the Madrid Gallery is a picture painted

of a llin t M a tth C o S . e w by Pareja the g f , into which he has introduced his ow n portrait ; only in this case he h a s softened some of the racial characteristics Of his face . His pardonable vanity called for a Slight departure from realism . And n ow Velasquez , with the unanimous of n praise the critics ri ging in his ears , set to work upon his great portrait of Innocent . Whatever may be said of this distinguished no on e Pope , can claim that he possessed beauty . And any comeliness that may have for been his in youth had long since departed , when he granted a sitting to Velasquez he

- fifth was in his seventy year , and in the last a half decade of his long and l borious life . He could have been under n o delusion either Not as to how Velasquez would paint him . even for the Vicar of Christ wa s the great his Nor Impressionist likely to change style . is there any reason for supposing that Innocent 1 I O VELASQUEZ

as a m wished him to do so . Paint me I , we he would probably have said , as Crom ll x a ue e cl imed to Lely . And this is what Velasq z has done ; to such a degree indeed , that it is the real living man who gazes at us from the mad canvas . In the faces of those who have e history we have a right to look for something ss far nobler than mere beauty . The firmne of ss the mouth , the strength of the jaw, the ma ive

of w- e build the forehead , the keen , arro lik glance of the eye— these are features which we expect in a leader of men . They not only — do instead of artistic beauty they not me re ly b u t d take its place , their virile strength woul become almost impaired and diluted a nd in

sipid by its presence . Such features we discover in Innocent a s he f z comes down to us rom the brush of Velasque .

It is the face of a statesman and a ruler , of who ff h one has laboured and su ered , who as

tasted sorrow and disappointment . With s uch

x characteristics there dwells , as we should e e ct p , a tone of severity in the mouth and brow. And yet we can readily picture that grave face lighting up in a smile of amusement ; for a wonderful mingling of humour and austerity u lurks in the vivid eyes , and we are not s r prised to read of Innocent indulging in play

' I 1 2 VELASQL EZ deeper than a superficial represe ntation . It a man not is the picture not of a face , but of ;

. t s s cho of a mask , but of a soul And in hi p y logical delineation Velasquez excelled . We have already seen that his port rait of wa s e re Innocent no easy task . But ther we causes be yond those already named which ffi u added to the di culty . For one thing J sti tells us that the artist could only have se e n or n nce the Pope at a distance , duri g an audie ; “ and that the real study of his features must have been made during the brief interval tha t he was permitted to stand at his eas e l in ” O f His presence Holiness . ffi colou r ch Then came the di culty of , whi Velasquez has certainly confronted with the Of boldness genius , the audacity which com

mands success . T O put the case baldly , the artist had to n h pai t a man whose complexion was red , w o in h was seated a red armc air , surrounded by red

s - n tape try , wearing garments and head coveri g h was of red . T is mass of gorgeous colour heightened rather than relieved by the brilliant of white the surplice , while in the whole por is e a s Of se trait there scarc ly hadow . cour “ ” the term red is one of very large Scope , n Of l t the admitti g count ess grada ions , and SECOND VISIT T O ROME 1 1 3

’ Pope s countenance was of a different hue from his that Of robes and tapestry . But this fact to ’ did but little facilitate the artist s task , see ing that the face which was to be the salient part of the picture was of course of a less striking and brilliant colour than its surroundings . And yet among the master ’ s portraits this of Innocent holds perhaps the most distinguished place , while it eclipses those by other painters in the Doria Gallery . No portrait- painter is ignorant of the diffi culty presented by the representation Of the

a . one h nds In Of the Philip portraits , and in

his ha s one of sacred pictures , Velasquez “ ” given us broad , white , finely moulded hands , but these never occur in his later work . He is to generally content cover them with gloves , or to represent the fingers clenched . In the portrait of Innocent he has paid special atten tion to the hands , bringing the right one into special prominence . The lefts holds a to ff inscri letter addressed the Ponti , the p “ “ tion on which reads as follows : Alla Sant n : . I n noce ncio di Nro Sig X . Per Diego de M a t . Silva Velasquez de la Camera di S . ca ” C att .

The right hand wa s at first more bent than h we now see it , and it is possible to trace t e I I 4 VELASQUEZ

a d original position of the fingers . The left h n

has also been touched up . The excellence of the portrait was imme di

ately acknowledged by the art critics of Rome , and it fully maintained the artist ’s already

high reputation . “ Palomino enthusiastically declares that Ou r Velasquez came to Italy not to learn but to

teach , for the portrait Of Pope Innocent X . was the amazement of Rome all Copied it as ” and a study , looked on it as a marvel . Nor was this enthusiasm confined to the ’ m artist s own generation . To ci , writing in 1 its 794 , calls the picture a misfortune to all th e neighbours , the glorious Guido among a rest (the Virgin worshipping the Child), p its pearing by side mere parchment , while Sir Joshua Reyn olds is said to have pronounced it the finest picture in Rome . The only replica whose authenticity J usti will allow for certain is the well - known picture ’ in the Duke of Wellington s collection at

Apsley House , though writers seem to agree that Velasquez took back a copy of the por trait to Madrid . This was probably lost during the great war at the beginn ing of the nineteenth century . The triumph of this great portrait brought

C H A PT E R X I

ARTIST AND COURTIER — Ve lasquez appointe d Apose ntador M ayor The various — dutie s of his ne w office Bi rth Of Prince ss M aria Mar ' a r ta the c ild of l s se cond marr a e — His g i , h Phi ip i g Quee n — — M ariana He r portrait by Ve lasquez His portrai t of — the Que e n at praye r The ba ptismof the infant Prince ss — — ’ A b ull - figh t Ve lasque z s occupations and his inte r ’ — ’ course with I hilip Ve lasque z s ge nius not limite d to m re ssio m I p ni s .

’ ELASQU EZ S return from his second Italian tour was marked by a rise of considerable importance in his position at the

Spanish Court . By way Of recompense for his labours in Italy he was honoured by appointmen t to th e “ ” e n post of Aposentador Mayor , which , b i g

- f interpreted , means Quartermaster General o ’ the King s Household . h The architects Herrera and Mora , in t e l l reign of Philip . , had severally fulfilled this f n ow ou r n r unction apportioned to artist . Ho ou a nd glory apart , the position was not one to

1 1 6 ART IST A ND COURT IER I I 7

l I ts ca l forth unmitigated envy . multifarious — duties Often mere trifle s heavy with ceremony its superabunda nce Of etiquette and rules of “ ” thumb , wound red tape by the yard about ” the person Of the Aposentador Mayor . ’ Placing the King s chair , removing the cloth when he dined in public (did Velasquez brush up the setting chairs for l cardina s and viceroys , making arrangements for e tc lodgement during royal progresses , . , do l Of not make up a ist duties very congenial , to we should think , an artistic temperament . Velasquez as artist and Court functionary appears in these times a strange anomaly his n responsibilities , and the calls upon his ge ius , an Odd jumble Of diverse aims to meet in one man f r o fulfilment . This amalgam Of ae sthetics and red tape ” ism , however , though no sinecure , was a

- to gilt edged combination , not be despised even by the soul of an artist , and artists are human ’ Ve las ue z s n o s after all . q salary ran to le s than three thousand ducats per annum More over , the key which hung from his girdle Of turned in every lock the Palace . On the l ath of J uly Of the same year the Court was e n fete to celebrate the birth of a f ’ princess , the first child O Philip s second mar 1 1 8 VELASQUEZ r ffi f she e r iage . Report a rms that be ore ve saw her future husb and in the flesh Prince s s Mariana fell in love with his po rtrait (by Ve las n and de quez in the Royal Gallery , Vien a , cla re d that she would never marry a nyone e ls e “ ” 1 but her cousin with the blue feather . Whether there was any foundation for s uch is n gossip it impossible for us to affirm or de y. In nine cases out Of ten royal marriages we re more affairs Of State than of affection ; a nd a legendary element of romance may very pos sibly have been originated to supply the lack Of — e a the genuine article to add , as it wer , poetic tinge to the prosaic prose Of an alliance w r having international policy for a motive po e . ’ Whatever the Princess Mariana s own fe el n ca l ings may have been , temptations to cy i doubts regarding the sentiments of Philip obtrude themselves willy - n illy when we are ’ vis - a- vis with Ve lasqu e z s representations of s n n the eco d Queen Consort . The unflatteri g realism Of the artist leaves us hardly a ny alter native but to suppose that the compass pointed straight to the frigid pole Of Policy instead Of to the su n ny latitude Of Passion

without any trembling in the balance . Dull e s k h ye , full lips and che c s (upon which t e

1 ' Sir W Stirlin Ma x l V u z . g we l s elas q e .

1 2 0 VELASQUEZ its subject a bedizened fashion - doll rather tha n a woman at her devotions . The very upright ness of pose gives an impression that careful preservation of equilibrium is a n ecessa ry con ’ comitant Of the royal lady s ponderous hirsute

structure . We are not surprised to hear that Queen ’ It is Mariana s accomplishments were few . n o wonder if brains ran to seed under the n enervating influence , morally and me tally n of n weakeni g , an overwrought conventio “ i s l - in a lism and t stilted aced customs . The baptism of the infant Princess (on July 2 5th) deserves special notice as an illustration ’ u z al of Ve lasq e s Court surroundings . The g le rie s of the Alcazar were turned into a venues a Of gold and purple drapery , through which typically regal procession wended its stately e n r a nde te nue way , the guards and courtiers g gorgeous as a border Of flaming poppie s in

their silks , satins , and uniforms . Inside the chapel the splendour had cres ndoe d to e n ce fortissimo . Nothing had b e Of T he Spared in the way ornate decoration . walls we re festooned with ex quisite e mbroid e Of e s o eries , while b neath a canopy silv r to d in t the font , the very one which the gre a St .

Dominic himself had been baptised . ART IST A ND COURT IER 1 2 1

The Infanta Maria Theresa stood godmother ,

- ln - n attended by her ladies waiti g , the babe being carried to the chapel in the arms of the

Prime Minister , Don Luis de Haro . At the doors the procession was received by the leading prelates of Spain richly vested . Ros i liosi ad The Papal Nuncio , Cardinal p g , of ministered the Sacrament Baptism , giving the name of Maria Margarita , and hanging a ’ precious relic round the child s neck . From a raised dai s Philip looked down with

- on l lack lustre gaze the bril iant ceremony , his habitual apathy effectually masking any feel of ings he may have had . But the voice the crowd without the gates gave vent to thun de rous cheers as the Nuncio drove Off in his coach , and sent an electric thrill of southern fire playing over the denser atmosphere of

Court formalism . fe w After the lapse of a weeks , when the Queen was once again able to take part in

- fi ht public festivities , a grand bull g took place by order of the King to commemorate her recovery . The Plaza Mayor was turned into a sort of Roman amphitheatre on such occa sions by means Of tie r upon tier of balconies rising to the tops of the houses in the great

square , to accommodate the immense throngs 1 2 2 VELASQUEZ

An collected to witness the national sport . d surely there could be no more appropriate “ le staging for such a barbarous spectac , n animal with its horrors of blood , quiveri g i s s Of se s agony , and t mangled holocau t hor f on gasping life away in a sickening , untidy ashi on the sand . Every detail of the programme was re minis be fitte d e e cent of the arena , and the p rvert d natures of the half- crazy Cae sars rather than the sovereign and populace of most Catholic

Spain . For Court performances the usual hire d matadors were replaced by members of the e u n s r n s j e se do ée of Madrid . These galla t entered the ring each wearing the colours or of in namora ta the badge his respective , like d ffi knights of Ol . It su ces merely to mention n th such names as the Cid (Pedro Ni o), e

V . and s Emperor Charles , Pizarro , King Seba

of w - n l tian Portugal , to sho how ultra fashio ab e

- active combat in the bull ring had become . m oo s Ar ed with lances , attended by gr m , a nd astride mounts very different from the deplorable hacks now Offered in s acrifice to s n n s a depraved taste , the e you g galla t cut smart figure before assembled society when they rode into the improvise d are na on the ir

1 2 4 VELASQUEZ The Italian articles of ve r tu were arrange d in the galleries and halls of the Alcazar of u rthe r already a perfect mine treasures . F

Of - l more , the position Quartermaster Genera ’ of the King s household meant ceaseless calls ’ Ve la s u e z s w as of upon q time , and somewhat n of so a drag o the wheel art . To be actively engaged at Court (as an Aposentador Mayor) would have been considered by the generality of of men as a profession in itself, exclusive

t . o her avocations But Genius , by a wizardry its own all , frequently contrives to fill every of f nook and cranny li e with achievement , and might well be credited with powers for prolong ing time . In his Official capacity Velasquez was of course brought more than ever into personal c e contact with Philip IV . Possibly the se r t ’ recesses of the monarch s inner consciousne ss were rather empty after his life had been swept it and garnished Of Olivares . Be this as the may , the King Often sought the society of artist ; conferring with him and con fiding in him concerning momentous affairs of the con fide nce s or nation . Whether such were

were not rather a dangerous privilege , Velas quez flourished like a green bay tree all the him not n same . Fate harried , while Fortu e ART IST A ND COURT IER 1 2 5 smiled on him and n ever was he forced to fly “ ” for sanctuary from brass - footed Furies on P his track , hastening to drive him to madness ( ) and premature death , as in the case of the hapless Olivares ! Tranquil in his home life and favoured in ’ cre asin l Ve la s ue z s g y at Court , q career forms a striking contrast to the less flowery paths of “ ” ordinary mortals ; Grande Exception writ large glimmered in letters of minted gold across il its surface , wh e his person was protected from outside storms under the aegis Of royal u favo r . ’ We have already commented on Ve la squ e z s s of of IV portrait the Queen Consorts Philip . m they were any . In addition to several paint n of n i gs Queen Maria a , the artist executed a of a small study her on a circul r silver plate , “ ” - about the size of a dollar piece , Sir W .

Stirling Maxwell says . The fact that the long impressionist brushes were thus laid aside in favour of the miniature painter ’s pencil , furnishes rather interesting proof as to Of us the large capacity genius , and leads to believe that Velasquez was not perforce the Of chose slave Impressionism . He rather to affect this particular style as being the best medium for the expression of his artistic 1 2 6 VELASQUEZ principles , although he could diverge from it at will , as in the instance of the miniature . Hidden or manifes t versatility is i nvariably the prerogative of genius— and Often of only mere talent . The possession of certain traits of character does not necessarily result in corresponding ’ outward manifestation . It is when a man s n psychology te ds to external vent, that his attributes and defects are brought forth into the l light of day , and the mysteries of comp exity are unveiled . Nevertheless , the workings of “ psychic force which follow any such unve il ” NO ing bring penalty in their wake . sooner n does man externalise his inmost nature , tha he likewise becomes subject - matter for the study of Spiritual Pathology . In the world wide museum Of humanity his attributes or defects are exposed for public scrutiny ; his health or malady of soul are topical questions f r o scientific treatment . Happy the subj e ct whose portion consists in the healing nostrums the of sympathy , instead of the cold steel of ’ dissector s knife . Velasquez was not what is called a versatile man ; but , surely only because he elected to give free play to certain dominating canons Of

Art , peculiarly adapted to convey the utter

CHA PTER XI I

T HE PA LACE LA DIES

’ — Las Me n inas - Ve lasque z s choice Of subje cts De tails of ” — his picture Las M e ninas The costume of royal “ ” an is ladi ir o u a ions— Th v tal for e Sp h e s. The cc p t e i c ” — ' — of Las M e n inas Ve lasque z s late r picture s The u a i s of his la r ar occ p t on te ye s.

H E year 1 656 brings u s to the conside ra ’ “ tion of Ve lasqu e z s masterpiece Las ” r of Meninas o The Maids Honour . The title alone certainly does not speak for f se itsel , neither does the subject seem to promi u for c u de ma in of B u m ch scope a o p genius . t it is only another illustration of the fidelity of the artist to Realism ; the attractions of any ” thing a n d everything real and familiar were s o strong for a temperament cast in ou r ’ artist s mould that he was naturally at his best when dealing with any object which happened to cross his path in everyday life— instead of requiring to kindle genius at the brazier of some burning emotion T HE PALACE LADIES 1 2 9 “ n Of impressions there were ple ty , he contended , ready to hand in the Court , the

- - o . market place , the high road , or the h tel Lights and shadows fall across the homely n fields and woods , and even a commo smithy ff ff a ords Rembrandtesque e ects . To attain artistic renown by no means in “ ” volves aims and objects of a tremendous nature to acquire immortal fame we are not obliged to undertake hydraulic efforts after the

superlative . If ideals magnetise us by their not psychic fascination , it does follow that we need range through creation bewailing the loss of the beautiful , like another Orpheus in search of his Eurydice . With Velasquez the Ideal

and the Real were one and the same thing , “ ” and therefore the song of the World Soul , of the voice Nature , and the mystery of her cu hi empire over Humanity , filled the p of s i sat sfaction to the brim . Strenuous passions or heart- shaking crises in the great drama of life do not appear to have even so much as threatened the well f being o our artist . There is no reason to suppose that any fla sh- lights or danger- signals his ff ever flared upon the tide of a airs . Uni form surroundin gs were enough for him and was m his genius . Probably he much ore in x 1 30 VELASQUEZ

w n Las nas or his element hen painti g Meni , s his n w uld portrait of royal patron , tha he o have been in the delineation of scenes de e h e r scriptive of vehemenc and turmoil , w e in e d s th e man , the microcosm , is pitt again t macrocosm in fell agony of strife The Rid n n i dles Of Desti y troubled him ot. W th es h Sophoclean grandeur , and colossal them , e

had no part nor lot . ’ “ Ve las ue z s or q picture of Las Meninas , b ar The Maids of Honour, is considered y t critics to be his greatest work ; and to have the hall - mark of his own particular s tyle of c genius very deeply imprinted on it . Stri tly speaking the painting is a portrait ; and the little Infanta Maria Margarita is its r a i son ’ d étr e for u , the remaining figures making p this striking ta blea u viva n t are but s atellite s revolving round their central sun . At the r time when the picture was painted , the P in u h cess was only about five years old , b t e r costume might well (or ill !) have become a grown woman . The skirt of her gown reache s o e t the ground , and is stretched over a hug , — ungainly crinoline a n effectual bar to a ny childish grace or exercise . The grotesque n little figure is nearly as broad as it is lo g , “ and notwithstandin g her being the idol of

1 32 VELASQUEZ of the constrained pattern of the woof and ’ web of their life s tapestry . Perhaps the strain of Orientalism inhere nt in the physical and moral constitution of Spanish life and custom is never more notice in its n e s i able than relationship to wome , p ec in n t s ally the history of bygo e cen urie . T he remaining dra ma tis pe rsona! of this dome stic no r scene from Court life , are a Lady of Ho u ,

- clad in nun like habit , conversing with a S ta te

ffi . e nd rtm n o cial And at the far of the apa e t , ’ n i the Queen s Apose tador , Don Josef Nieto, s to be seen going up a staircase on the othe r

side of an open doorway . Close to this door

a mirror hangs on the wall , and upon its s ur face are reflected the faces of the King a nd lied Queen their portraits being thus supp , although they themselves are out of the range

of vision . Indeed , they are seated in the place which the spectator occupies in looking at the

picture . The painting is not characterised by local colour so much as by the light and shade

which dominate the whole scheme . Owing to

their manner of grouping , the perspecti ve varies for nearly every one of the ni n e figure s t bl au composing the a e . These are modelled in accordance with the play of light a nd shadow T HE PALACE LADIES 1 33 “ about their persons . A chief orb of her

Sphere , the Infanta is naturally the focus of fullest brightness ; a brightness which gleams on the white satin of her dress , and radiates

back upon her blonde complexion .

The figures are broadly touched in , their lifelike appearance being imparted to them

by a few sharp strokes of the brush . The n o unble ded superpositi n of dark and light , l and ight dark , in the picture is , we believe ,

the key to its wonderful vital force . Indeed , to describe it as essentially “ vital conveys

the best idea of its influence on the beholder . At first Sight it ha s an ultra - Rembrandtesque of appearance gloom and sombre obscurity , relieved by luminous tones here and there but 10 as we stand before it , and behold the dark ness Clarifies and the canvas becomes instinct “ l n with ife and moveme t , the colours assert themselves and the figures appear as though

Seen in a mirror , their outlines fairly aquiver

with motion . The work has been in turn com pared to Nature seen in a camera obscura “ ’ (Wagen), and to an anticipation of Daguerre s invention (Stirling Maxwell), while the teach ing of Leonardo da Vinci relative to relief ” ” being the soul of painting has never been more perfectly illustrated than through the 1 34 VELASQUEZ

’ “ m edium of Ve lasque z s Maids of Honour La s M n n ( e i as). The colour - tones of the pictu re are ma nip u

' lated so a s to lead up to what may be ca lle d

s s n n the fa r- h aire d its mo t re ona t note , amely , i ,

- wi the i ht le amin blue eyed , little Infanta , th l g g g

i - She se e m a on her wh te satin clad figure . s s t s in s uch b ld though de ached from the canva , o n the be hold r relief does she sta d out , and e might well be forgiven a wide - a wake drea m of her steppin g over the picture - frame to tre ad the familiar halls a nd galleries of the Alcaza r ! Some of the figures in the group are wrapt in gloom ; others are be twee n any atmos phe ric of e a rn extreme light or shadow , while the cl e ss of the sun light where it falls gives a silhoue tte d appearance to the forms thrown up against its

. n ff of h luminous setting The varyi g e ects lig t , a nd of r b the gradations shade and colou , y which the artist h a s recorded to the world a mere fleeting impression (seized e re it passed with the hour that gave it) Show how ” wonderfully alert he was to the ever- alte r n hi nati g phases of the surrounding c a roscu ro, a nd how truthfully his gen ius as similated all such influences before he handed them on to i r future generations by the mag c of his a t . n is x c t on a The painti g e e u ed co rse canvas ,

1 36 VELASQUEZ maids lose much of their charm owing to their envelopment in the hideous gu a rda n a n te f , or huge oval crinoline , perversely and aggressively de r igu e u r in the age when Dona l Isabel de Ve asco was a reigning beauty . Some idea of the enormity of the g ua rda n fa n te may be gathered when we quote th at the robes of a dowager might have curtained o ’ the tun of Heidelberg . Nevertheless , fashi n s the vagaries allowed for , the girlish faces of n fs Me inas are exceedingly pretty . The dwar of the party are good foils , moreover ; even the tawny hound lying at the feet of Nicolasito P e rtu sa n o looks stately and dignified in com n parison with the poor little man ikin , in whom n is so in human ature sadly awry . Early the ni n eteen th century an original sketch of Las Meninas was owned by the poet an d states l man Jove lanos . — The I nfan ta Maria Margarita the centre of attraction in this world - renowned achieve ’ — ment of Ve lasque z s genius was frequen tly n n s pai ted by the artist during the e suing year . The Queen of Spain ’ s Gallery contains a full l n n e gth representation of the Pri cess , and a n is sparkli g , animated portrait in the Louvre , ’ “ Viardot s s in M . words , one of the mo t n r popular pictures in the lo g galle y . T HE PAL ACE LADIES I 37 The last works known to have been executed by Velasquez are full - length portraits of the Infan ta Maria Margarita and her young brother Don so Philip Prosper , ere death summarily cu t his Short brief career . In the picture of has the Infanta , the artist painted an ebony n n and bro ze clock , while in that of the Pri ce a l h ittle white dog a s been introduced . The creature was a pet of the artist ’ s and looks

a - very wide wake and well conditioned , its ears f ” pricked at full cock o attention . From the year memorable for the production ’ of Ve la squ e z s great maste rpice ( 1 6 56 ) until the of f close his artistic li e , the time of the Court Painter was principally absorbed by official n n occupations , leavi g him but sca t margin of leisure for quiet hours in the privacy of his In studio . the same year that Velasquez painted “ his Meninas he was engaged by his royal patron to overlook the disposal of a number of pictures in the Escurial . This collection

- numbered forty one pieces . Some among them had been bought and brought over from the Whitehall Gallery ; others the artist had pur chased On behalf of Philip duri ng his Italian sojourn ; others again were gifts from the Count of Castrillo (ex- Viceroy of Naples) to the King

of Spain . After the whole collection had been 1 38 VELASQUEZ

in e las deposited safely the Palace Convent , V shed b quez made an exhaustive list , embelli y annotations giving details of the history a nd n e h e with antecede ts of each picture , tog t r criticisms as to their merits and other inte re st h ave ing matter . This catalogue is said to been of great assistance to Fray Francisco de los Santos in his descriptive treatise on the l Escuria .

1 40 VELASQUEZ

’ tion of Ve lasque z s ultra - impressionist works requires much understanding to be brought to on of ss bear them , and that they are full po i bilitie s rt for discovery in the realms of a . For the study and due comprehension of such paintings the right distance be tween is sine u a non spectator and canvas a q . At Close quarters vehement Impression ism appe ars little more than a Chaos . is l But when we step back the result magica . The colours disentangle the various relations and n between tones , lights , shadows are see t e ts to be perfectly adjus ed , while figures or obj c in high - relief seem to be embossed or raise d f a vas rom the background . In short , the c n “ becomes animated by an apparently living ” picture ; the Rembrandtesque gloom of its atmosphere suggesting the idea of a dusky

mis n scen f r a a Chamber as e e e o the artistic dr m . e and Stray gleams and high lights , falling her on there , though they enliven the sombre harm y do b ut with a brighter , more piercing note , s erve by contrast to enhance the effect of de pth n ow and remoteness , characterisi g the shad y recesses of a certain Class of Impre ssionist creations . ’ The wonde rful vita lity of Ve lasque z s style is “ ” his Hilande ras or strikingly apparent in Las , ART IN ROYAL FET TERS 1 4 1

n The Spin ers . In the catalogue of the Madrid Gallery it is entered as La Fabrica de tapices de Santa Isabel de Madrid , cuadro llamado ” Hilande ras de las . The exact date of its pro ca n n duction is uncertain , and nothing be fou d in the royal archives of Spain to afford a clue to the settlement of the question . The opinions of authorities in matters of artistic import 1 6 2 1 660 variously incline to the years 5 , , and 1 6 6 5 . The picture represents a workroom occupied by a group of women busily en gaged on I n n their craft . the background a seco d room opens out of the first , divided from it by an archway , through which are to be seen

i - h gh born dames , who as visitors are inspect ing a finished piece of tapestry ; its mytho logical subject is illuminated by a flood of sun shin e . In the foreground the atmosphere is one n of warm , transparent Shade , indicatio of the intense heat of the outer air . The spinners have even discarded portions of their clothing under stress of the stifling air of the interior . re All the group are at work upon some task , pairing or winding wool . At the spinning wheel a handsome old woman plies her distafl . On the left of the picture a young girl is draw re ing back a large red curtain , while the mainde r of the group are severally engrossed 1 4 2 VELASQUEZ

n n in carding and windi g skei s . The scene is simple to a degree ; but it was j u st ' those familiar fragments of life ’ s varied patchwork that Velasquez loved to seize upon for the sub

- i j e ct matter of h s genre pictures . We feel in the ’ instance of Las Hila nde ras that the artist s aim was n ot So much the representation of the “ Spinners as such . He seems rather to tear ” the heart out of a fleeting impression re ’ fl e cte d on his own mental vision from Nature s vast panorama . His ears were ever Open to his the message of the hour , and eyes to the tou t e nse mbl e of actual surroundings ; un der the influence of the ceaseless ebb and flow of the encompassing atmosphere , the ripple of its its waves of light , shadows , and its intersect

- ing currents and counter currents . In Las ” Hila nde ras reality ha s been so faithfully pour t raye d that the figures of the women appear to move with the rhythmical vibrations of their aerial environments . The luminosity of the hot air filli ng the workroom is deadened to a wards the centre by great blot of Shadow , while a n infinity of minute atmospheric par ticle s float in the sunshine wherever it illu mi nates the scene . The rays of brightness appear iridescent owing to reflection from the diverse colour - tones and although their tints cross and

1 44 VELASQUEZ Though in the thick of his multifarious dutie s ffi u as Court o cial , Velasquez was not too m ch absorbed to prevent his thoughts turni ng in th e Y for t at direction of Italy again . earnings h paradise of artists obtruded themselves when ever he found breathing- space to give him se lf up to con templation of the Objects in th e back of his ground consciousness . For him that mysterious region of sub j e ctivism was naturally filled by shape s and ae a se d phantoms of sthetic creation , which r i supplicati ng hands of importunate longing to lie before his mental Vision , and refused s s fallow at the back of the subconsciou elf. u o Further , it is by no means an unlikely s pp sition that the artist began to feel the te dium “ ” of the daily round a nd the oflicial task n h rather burde some . A treadmill is none t e less a treadmill for bei n g carpeted with velvet pile ; the wires of a cage are no le ss effe ctual as bars against liberty from the fact that they

are gilded . Neither is royal patronage without s its drawback . “ When a monarch has a fa vourite on the string he is within his rights if he gives that string a twitch back just as the subject attache d thereto is preparing to flap his wings prepara

tory to a temporary flight . ART IN ROYAL FET TERS 1 4 5

O S it proved in the case of Velasquez. Philip no soon er saw signs of a flutter than he promptly and effectually “ wound in the string ” by refusing to accord permission for the absence of n o his Apose tador . Visi ns of Italy were thus for eclipsed our artist . The October of 1 6 59 was marked by the arrival in Madrid of the French Ambassador (the a réchal Duke of Grammont) on matri n mo ial negotiations intent , concerning an alliance between the Infanta Maria Margarita

X IV . and Louis . of France In an age of somewhat sensational display there was no thing startling in the theatrical e n trance of the Ambassador upon the stage of contem ra r ff po y a airs in Spain . Attired in the fantastic of his garb couriers , the Maréchal and suite — galloped into the Palace vestibule a pic t u re sque episode typical of the eagerness of

the royal suitor . T o Velasquez wa s deputed the task of con ducting the French Ambassador and his s ons inn ume r over the Alcazar , and Showing them its

able art treasures . Grammont likewise made a tour of inspection of the private galleries of colle c the wealthy nobility . One of the best had tions was owned by the Count Onate , who lately brought back with him from Naples a n 1 46 VELASQUEZ

The F h abundance of artistic purchases . renc Ambassador was evide n tly appreciative of his d arture from guide , for we hear that on his ep Madrid he presented Velasquez with a gold

watch . Soon after these events the artist rece ive d formal permission to wear his Cross of Sa n a n 1 2 th 1 6 8 tiago . By rescript of J u e , 5 , the d onfe rr d Habit of the Order had been alrea y c e , his d r and Velasquez had duly handed in pe ig e e , of a a Th r as required , to the Marquess Tab r . e e s ub s seems , however , to have been some e e s tion quent hitch regarding the document in qu , for we hear of an application to Pope Ale x I I V . 1 6 ander but it was not until October, 59 ,

that the desired response was Obtained . Mean while Philip chafed at the protracted de lay ; to b rin he summoned Tabara , ordered him g to affa r with him the documents relative the i , and told him to record the royal satisfaction n 2 8 with the existi g evidence to hand . The th Of a nd November found the patent made out , Velasquez was installed without loss of time as ‘ f ’ o . wa s . s e r s a , Knight Santiago It St Pro p — Day a red - letter day for the Spanish Court a s of as being the birthday the Prince of the Asturi . ’ The ceremony of our artist s installation in his knighthood was performed in the Church of

1 4 8 VELASQUEZ “ n French it was considered neutral grou d , but Spain laid claim to it on the s trength of the allegation that a divergence of the river f a o from its course had separated it rom Pel y . TO - day the encroaching waters of the stre am have pretty nearly settled this contention in ow n e n their way , having left but little mor tha a sedgy fragment of what was once the famous

historic isle . ti Before the date fixed for the royal nup al s , Velasquez was told to go on ahead in order to to and make and superintend arrangements , to set on foot vast preparations for the forth t coming pageant . He proceeded wi h all pos Bida ssoa h sible despatch to the , where e ue nta rrabia and prepared the Castle of F , of superintended the erection a pavilion . Th ese s uez preparatory duties accomplished , Vela q spent two months at San Sebastian inspecting his works a n d waiting for the arrival of the

kings . ’ In the age of Philip IV . the Pheasants I sle to 00 0 dt extended 5 feet in length and 7 in brea h , a great contrast to its present diminutive p ro ’ of A ose ntador s portions . Some idea the p heavy responsibilities may be gathered from a of avilions mental inspection the pavilion , or p , and more properly speaking . The planning ART IN ROYA L FET T ERS 1 49 superintendence of such an erection were in was deed no light task . The length covered 00 of 3 feet ground . In the middle stood a Hall of n Conference , from which diverged wi gs con taining each a suite of apartments for the accommodation of the two monarchs , the

Kings of Spain and of France . An entrance portico on each front Of the pavilion was joined by a covered way leadi ng down to the bridge of boats , by means of which the royal approach from the respective ff territories was to be e ected . The Hall of Conference itself was 56 feet long by 2 8 wide and 2 2 high ; the chief apartment flanki ng it on either side being no less than 40 feet long 1 8 1 8 by wide , while all the rooms measured 1 feet from floor to ceiling . The decoration of these chambers wa s sumptuous in the extreme , gilding and costly as S a n ish arras galore , and though Velasquez p Aposentador only overlooked the fitting- up of ’ t the King of Spain s suite , the ornamenta ion , hangings , and other decorations were carried out on a uniform scale throughout the whole edifice . 1 ir t rl n a x we ll. S W . S i i g M CHAPTER XIV

FRANCO - SPANISH PAGEANTS — The Royal Pavilion on the I sland of Pheasants National — Characte ristics displaye d in the orname ntation Velas ’ — quez s labours Journe y of the Court to Fuentarrabia ’ — Philip s imme nse re tinue Rece ptions and pageants on — — r ou te Me e ting be t“ e e n Philip and his sister The — ’ Franco- Spanish Court Ve lasque z s appearance on this — — occasion The brilliancy of the festivities the Court

re turns to M adrid.

LT HO UGH the decoration of the Roya l u Pavilion was uniform in splendo r , the n ations diverse characteristics of the two , whose monarchs were to occupy parallel suite s s n ble of apartments in that edifice , were di cer i in the style of orn amentation and embe llish ment displayed by the representatives of Spain and France in their preparations for the coming is of the kings . It inte resting to note the indications of n ational temperament displ ayed

thereby , and to contrast the grave and more serious Spanish character with the vivacity

and brilliance of French gaiety .

1 52 VELASQUEZ

’ e ne rgy for the Apos entador ; for th e King s mode of proce dure was ve ry diffe re nt from ’ “ s e nt re fol modern royal travelling , Philip i ” n d r tion lowing being of an orie tal esc ip . On the 1 5th of April the King be ga n his journey after solemn ly making his will and n of A i voking the protection of Our La dy tocha . f his train The In anta accompanied him , and red mu consisted of three thousand five hund le s ,

- two s and se nt eighty hor es , seventy coaches , ve y f h in baggage waggons . The luggage o t e us Th tended bride was something prodigio . e contents of her wardrobe itself filled twe lve as n for great chests , and such was the p sio a e ve n display in that ostentatious age , th t packing- cases were en cased in red velve t and mounted in silver . — Twen ty more trun ks of morocco this time — held her linen and other thi ngs ; while the “ ” apparatus of her toilet requisites (as the perfumers name these mysterious adj uncts of feminine adornment) ladened fifty weary mules ! in al Moreover , addition to her actual pe rson e n a the h r imp dime t , Infanta brought with e a lavish assortment of gifts to be be stowed whe n the two Courts me t at the end of the ir e s e tiv rn r p c e jou eys . Strange ite ms figure d in the list of th e se FRANCO - SPANISH PAGEANTS 1 53

- royal souvenirs ; amber gloves , whisker cases (to be worn on retiring to rest a nd Old world inventions , only to be found nowadays in collections from the Obsolete gimcracks of

- - a dead and gone epoch of civilisation . The existence of whisker - cases Shows that the of formali m l spirit i haunted the nights , as wel a s walking in the noonday ; and much might be written concerning the fashions and customs of Spanish high - life in the age of the fourth

Philip . It seems to have been the pride of royalties and grandees to emulate each other in the number and the magnificence of their of retinues . That Philip trailed out to an his incredible length . The vanguard of caval cade sounded their trumpets before the gate of Alcala de Henares , simultaneously with the exit of the rearguard from Madrid ; while the progress through Burgos and Vittoria wa s worthy of chronicle in an Arthurian rom wa s its ance , so picturesque it in pomp and revelry . The journey was repeatedly broken by the royal travellers in the palaces of nobles and a s hidalgos , such the Mendozas and the t w Velascos , who flung money right and lef ith Open - handed prodigality in the e ntertainme n t of their guests . Prelates received Philip a t 1 54 VELASQUEZ the doors of ancient cathedrals ; abbots and out s priors came from their monasterie , bear ing their most treasured relics for the benefit of the King ; the citizens of Mondragon e a ll accorded him a military welcome , render d the more impressive by its display of th e historic arms which had seen service in th e W r days of Pedro the Cruel . e also hea of weird national dances performed in se mi His we barbaric style before Majesty , and need hardly add that the standing dish in the me n u of b ll Spanish amusements , namely u ’ w fighting , figured largely in the day s ork , while fireworks blazed against the velvety i ’ darkness of night . The slowness of the K ng s

on r ou te th advance , all his dallying to cull e pleasures which the moments afforded by the

- Odd ode rn road side , are in contrast to m notions of travelling . And when we hear that Philip and the Infanta let three weeks e lapse t d to at San Sebastian alone , we are temp e ’ think of a snail s passage along a garden path How d ff re n towards a bed of violet leaves . i e t the somnolent atmosphere of Old Spanish th emse lves s l f in cities , from the pres ure of i e v n on this epoch of electricity , technical in e ti , and progress ! Sure ly the shade of state ly in az Philip IV . would vanish shuddering am e

1 56 VELASQUEZ

re s e f intercourse be come , the mo ur ly will eel s the ings and instincts , which are harmle s in w n light of day , generate moral poison he

n - crushed and stifled in secret hidi g places. ’ e ou Probably Philip s private irregulariti s c ld , th e a rtificialit one and all , be put down to y which hedged him round with its labyrinthian s ws intricacies . Unnatural and unneces ary la use and canons , if not ignored on the ho n out of tops of publicity , will , in ine cases te n e nd , incite outraged nature to rebellion b hi of a locked doors , with results provocative R a be l a isia n peal of laughter from the powe rs of evil . While King Philip and his sister were con doling with one another on the adversitie s of e s the past years and exchanging experienc , Louis and his bride caught a glimpse of e ach e c other at last . There is something v ry comi in the fact that this recognition was accom plish e d through the crack of a door aj a r ! Why they might not meet face to face and above - board is a conundrum we are unable to answer . o s sse m The next day , however , the r yaltie a l in f the s b ed the Con erence Hall , when King of Spain and France solemnly ratified all a n d me n previous ne gotiations agree ts . FRANCO - SPANISH PAGEANT S I 57

- A Franco Spanish Court was held , the presentation Of the French nobles being per formed by that notable personage Cardinal Mazarin ; while the Castilian hidalgos were

in their turn introduced by Haro to King Louis . ’ It subseque ntly fell to Ve la squ e z s share to be

the bearer of the truly regal souvenirs , pre

- - his son in to . sented by law Philip IV , and on the 7th of June the two Courts again met for farewells ; and on this occasion the King of

- Spain said good bye , for ever , to his daughter

- of and sister (the Queen Mother France). as h as So far , regards these pages , the half n ot been told concerning this memorable week Bid On the banks of the River assoa . The scene would best be pictured by those rhetoricians ” 1 un Of m dane pomp , the Venetian painters , with their wealth of glowing colour and de scri triumphant splendour , as a medium of p tion . Further , the actors upon the stage of this historic drama made up the dra ma tis pe r sona! of immortal celebrity in European chronicles . now s Though Philip IV . had been forty year on e the Spanish throne , time had d alt very

his gently with outward man , and he bore no

fin e r- its rough g marks of handling , no lines

1 A S monds J . . y . 1 58 VELASQUEZ and scorings from the pencil of its recording His si memories . air of pride and impas ve Old stateliness remained the s ame as of . Probably his lethargic temperame nt had no small share in such an indemnity from th e ’ f s impress o past years . To a man of Philip u v mental calibre , life co ld never be a ery ff tempestuous a air . The years might run out , while Opposing powers tore each other to pieces in the arena of European policy ; los s at might alternate with gain , in love and war , home and abroad and yet n o lurid lightn ing of passion wou ld so much as singe a hair of his

- head . If the faint hearted man dies a thousand deaths — much more does the ardent man “ live X I V . n a thousand lives Louis , who had ot ’ ’ a s yet reached the l t a t c e st moi epoch of his w as l on career , on y the threshold of his reign a t this period and in the heyday of his youth a n d n stre gth . two u The queens , both A strians by birth , ’ were long past the morning of life s day ; the shadows of an existence more or less chequered a nd - ff soul chilling , had e ectually darkened and cooled the glow Of high noon . Cardinal Maz a ’ rin s penetrating glance cast the search - light

Of the diplomat upon contemporary eve nts , and interpreted the writi ng between the lines of

1 60 VELASQUEZ honours and dis tinctions which his royal patron n had showered upon him . His Castilia r uff topped a Shoulder- cape embroide red with the s f Cross of Santiago , while the insignia it el we s hung from his neck and gleamed with je l . The sword at his side showed a hilt of elabor ately chased silver above the fine ly wrought

- e r scabbard , and the Court Painter was altogeth his n an ornament to the scene e nacted in pavilio . The festivities which took place in celebration Of the marriage of the Infanta were fully up to the high - water mark of splendour the n pre valent on great occasions in wealthy courts .

The blue , gold , scarlet , and yellow of French and Spanish uniforms gave the green sward of e the appearance an animated parterre , wh n viewed from a distance ; the River Bidassoa

- bore fairy like gilded barges along its curre nt , while the oars kept time to the strains of bewitching music , and cannon boomed and bills u e n arrab a echoed among the from F t i . Though the bright colours and daring fas hions of the French made the darker Spanish toile ts e s rn seem somewhat d ad and dull , the jewel ado ing the ladies of the Castilian Court more than for ns made up the way their gow were buil t .

Moreover , if the costumes of the grandees were s uni rendere d sombre by French vividnes , the FRANCO - SPANISH PAGEANTS 1 6 1 forms and liveries of the Spanish Guards and of lackeys outshone those France . The price of this gaudy lavishness has been estimated at 8 forty thousand ducats . By the th of June Philip had sent for and received final tidings of the e on young Qu en of France , and the same day he left the Castle of F u e nta rra bia on his return journey to the Spanish capital . This time the w as Aposentador in attendance on His Majesty , the toilsome task of procuring lodgment for the different stages of the route being deputed

to a substitute . After the royal cavalcade had l out eft Burgos it struck in a new direction , vi a travelling Valladolid , that ancient city where

Philip first saw the light . Here several days

were spent in the palace of his birth , while entertainme nts of every variety were provided f for . o his amusement Feats prowess , bull

fights , dramatic representations , and the fan tastic brilliance of a masquerade followed each

other in hot haste . The strangest item in this

very full programme of revels was , perhaps , Mo i a n a c me dimval the g g g , a pie e of drama of

the most curious description . From the vantage of ’ ground a balcony , Philip s stony stare rested on a s Go such characters g and Magog , and a host of fabulous creatures— these dragons and

wild beasts , careering in a bizarre medley, more M 1 6 2 VELASQUEZ suggestive of some trick of a fevered imagi na d of am tion , or a ream delirium , than a dr a tic performance before royalty .

In an interval from masks , fencing , b ull

- Kin fighting , and such like diversions , the g went on foot to hear Mass in the sple ndid

of . lon conventual church St Paul , where g a o m years g he had received baptis . He also Offered up his devotions at the shrine of O ur f ma n o . e assa nt Lady San Llorente We y add p , of that the gorgeous temple St . Paul contai ned numerous masterpieces of Spanish local art Valladolid apparently possessing a wealth of artistic talent in those days . Doubtless the se aesthetic treasures were no small source of to a s h s l delight Velasquez , he familiarised im e f of H with the creations such men as Juni , e r mandez , and Becerra . The 2 6 th of the month found Philip once m of ore in the bosom his family , after a mos t prosperous and eventful journey to and from m of ” the fa ous Isle Pheasants , while to late r generations th e whole resplendent episod e echoes through the ages like a triumphant fanfaronade of silver trumpets blazoning forth ffi the dignity of the kingly o ce .

1 64 VELASQUEZ

his e n us at this picture , would assert that g i was tuned to ecstatic or mystical them e s s uch as the brush of Fra Angelico so exquisite ly mb ol c illuminated . To materialise a purely sy i ’ a t s n atu r subject was really foreign to our r ist e . The two other sacred pictures which we h ave of th just mentioned , though falling short e a t e as highest devotional standard , are l t recognisable as scenes which were enacte d in “ of o a the world matter , whereas the Cor n mor tion is purely mystical , being nothing e than a conventional representation Of th e sublime dignity to which the Mother of Chris t was raised on her entrance into the Heaven ly

Courts . From a devotional point of View the mode ls

s . d eem to us unfortunately chosen The col ,

not to say haughty, expression on the face of the Blessed Virgin was no doubt Copied from x that of some Castilian lady , whom it e actly one suited . But it strikes as scarcely charac f H te ristic o the humble Queen of Heaven . e r too attitude , , though full of womanly dignity , r is essentially dramatic rathe than devotional , and since she is represented as throned instead of d kneeling , her face is nece ssarily turne

away from the Father and Son , Who are placing

the crown upon her head . V SON- IN- LAW 1 SLA E, DISCIPLE, 6 5 It is probably too late to quarrel with the habit which has such high artistic sanction , of representing the Eternal Father as an old and decrepit ma n b ut in this picture even the face of Christ , for which surely Velasquez could have found many passable models , is singularly unattractive . What is probably the last picture on a sacred subject which Velasquez painted is necessarily free from the objection which we have ventured to bring against the Corona tion , for it represents an earthly scene . In “ of ” The Visit of St . Antony to St . Paul Thebes the artist was able to paint from models who could at least don the garments and assume the attitude of the original saints , while the was landscape is also terrestrial . The work executed for the Oratory in the Hermitage of ‘ was St . Antony , and originally honoured by a handsome gilt frame , which was not common h at t at period . n St . Paul the a chorite , had retired into the n for desert , where he dwelt for inety years , f gotten by the rest o mankind . During si x ty of these solitary years he had been fed by a raven who had brought him half a loaf each day for his sustenance . It had been revealed to Paul that on the eve of his death he should 166 VELASQUEZ

- now receive a visit from a fellow man , and , when he has reached his hundred and thirteenth he t year , Antony appears . Thus knows tha his long life of penance and solitude is a t an end . on Antony , the other hand , when over ninety i t t at years Of age , received a divine int ma ion h there lived a man in the desert more perfect how the than himself, and he was told to reach grotto where Paul lived . Velasquez adopts a fashion very common in of th e the art the Middle Ages by showing , on ’ s same canvas , various incidents of Antony of journey , and his final arrival at the entrance e the grotto . These are of course subordinat to as the chief motive of the picture , is also the representation of Antony wrapping the

of of . h a body Paul in the Cloak St At an sius , which the anchorite had requested his Visitor to fetch from his grotto . In the foreground of the picture the two of saints are seated near the foot an alder tree . Paul recognises in the coming of Antony that his is it departure from this life at hand . W h outstretched arms , and eyes fixed upon heaven , his ascetic face lit up with the anticipation of eternal rest , the saint , worn out with fasting N Dimitti n d l u nc s. a toi , pronounces his

1 68 VELASQUEZ

a s white ground , and by these economic me n results are obtained which are now sca rcely secured by endless glazing or the most liberal of a e use the spatula . But the most remark bl feature in this insubstantiality is the perfect of n distinctness the forms , from the huma

- nd figures down to the bramble bushes . Behi vas the colours , which seem blown on to the can , the drawing quivers as if seen in the dista nce ” l through a thin gauze veil . A picture which ought not to pass without mention here is that of St . Francis Borgia , of to Duke Gandia , which is usually ascribed

Velasquez . It represents the Duke dismount ing from his horse at the gates of the Jesuit his College . St . Ignatius stands to receive s distinguished disciple . Francis was a cou in of at Charles V . and had held high position

r l fli n Cou t . It fell to his ot to open the co of the Empress Isabella for the purpose of official identification , and the sight of corruption which death had already worked upon the body of on e of the greatest personages on earth , so impressed the Duke with th e hollowness and worthlessness of human glory that he resolved to retire to the Cloister , and to join the newly

n i im s b rl u i Die o Ve la s uez a d h s T e a st . g q , y C J K n e nd n 1 ra n sla te d b P rofe ssor e a . Lo o 88 . T y , 9 E SON- IN- 1 6 SLAV , DISCIPLE , LAW 9

u S ma founded Society of Jes its . He pent ny years in the Order , practising the most astonish ing austerities , and was ultimately raised to the position of General of the Jesuits , being the third in succession to St . Ignatius . The picture is in the Duke of Sutherland ’s ff gallery at Sta ord House .

Of the disciples of Velasquez during his lifetime the most noted is Juan de Pareja , who

was at one time his slave . We have already seen that he followed his master to Madrid in

1 6 2 of . 3 , when he was seventeen years age And it is a tribute to the kindness of the artist that Pareja not merely stayed with him after m m a nd his manu ission , but beca e his scholar , h remained with i m till the end . After the death of Velasquez he entered the service of his daughter , the wife of Mazo Martinez , and

remained with her until his death . Pareja ’ s ancestors were slaves who had been imported into Spain by the Moriscos in His the previous century . portrait by Velas

quez , painted in Rome , shows clearly the

African type . The years which he spent in ’ his master s studio aroused in him a strong

love of art , and he used the Opportunities of

his position to practise it . Without breathing 1 70 VELASQUEZ a word a s to the talent of which he gradually

- nde s cr l became conscious , the colour gri r e e t y a care full Copied the works of Velasquez , fter y ’ m m s Hi watching the great an s ethod . s two t to him visits to Italy were of the greates help , and b e neglected no Opportunity of improvin g himself in his art . The manner in which he fin a lly allowed himself to be known as a painter Shows that he was possessed of a good f deal o diplomatic tact . it hi He had painted a picture , putting into s os best work , and finishing it with the utm t th care . This he hung up , with its face to e ’ As ntl wall , in his master s studio . so freque y happened , Philip paid a visit to the Court m re Painter , and he im ediately noticed the a sed versed canvas . His curiosity was rou , a n d o th he asked t see the picture . It took e ’ King s fancy and he inquired the name of the a rtist . Velasquez was as ignorant on this a s on point the King . Then Pareja , falling his was knees , acknowledged that the picture m his his , at the sa e time asking pardon for ’ boldness in painting it without his master s the knowledge . Philip forthwith declared that ma n who could paint so well ought no longer s to remain a Slave . Pareja rose from his knee a free man , and Velasquez soon after presented

1 7 2 VELASQUEZ

u a s we ll the table , and the jewellery pon it , a s ow- sill the handsome vases on the wind , of f a remind one the Flemish school o rt . The work is distinctly a remarkable a chie ve two such ment . But it is a curious fact that authorities on art as Paul Lefort and Sir William Stirling Maxwell should differ dia metrically a s to its resemblance to the Ve las as ows quian style . M . Lefort writes foll e e ne e n Cette toile , tr s r marquable , rappelle ’ r e rien Velasquez . C est une peinture hyb id , ’ l a ute ur mélange de vénitien , de génois , dont semble avoir e tudié de préférence Veronese e t Castiglione plu tOt que le peintre du table au La n c s des e . to me nt Whereas , if we are adopt the judg “ of l th a Sir Wi liam , it is executed wi close and successful imitation of the colou ring ” and handling of Velasquez . Notwithstanding such a wide divergence of s be Opinion as to this picture , there seem to n o doubt as to the possession by Pareja of one point of resemblance to his master ; for he

- excelled a s a portrait painter . In the Hermit age Gallery in Russia there is a well - known m picture by Pareja representing a onk or friar, a s and Palomino tells us of a portrait of R té , so m n an artist , ad irably painted that ma y SON- IN- 1 SLAVE , DISCIPLE , LAW 7 3 have attributed it to the brush of Velasquez

himself. Another disciple of ou r artist wa s Mazo

Martinez , who curiously enough imitated his

master not only in his art but in his marriage ,

for - in - he became the son law of Velasquez , a s just Velasquez himself had , years before , acquired that relationship to his teacher of Pacheco . He entered the studio the great e artist at an early age , and became xtremely a nd proficient , first as a copyist , later as a

painter of portraits . In the former capacity he reproduced works of Titian and Veronese so admirably that his Copies were mistaken for

the originals . Of his portraits one of the best was that of Queen Mariana , and a notable landscape n ow from his brush , in the Royal Gallery , of is a view Saragossa , the foreground of which contains figures painted by Velasque z ’ himself; The picture was executed by Philip s

order . Mazo Martinez probably owed his position of Deputy Aposentador to the influence of ’ - in - r his father law , and afte the great artist s death Mazo succeeded to the post of Court

Painter . t o His wife died , leaving him with w sons , 1 74 VELASQUEZ Gaspar a nd Balthasa r (na med after two of the si ns Magi). They both held good po tio at

Court . Mazo Martinez died in the Treas ury at 1 68 Madrid in 7 .

1 76 VELASQUEZ

’ e Ve las ue z s s b ut he re m ntioned two of q pupil , t is one man whose reputation is a s wide ly spread and as greatly honoured as that of

Velasquez himself.

- t ed One day a young man of twenty four , ir ut e ith o with his long journey from Sevill , w

- e n s thick black hair and weather worn garm t , s s to arrived at Madrid . He directed his tep

- s e nte r . the Alcazar , and asked to e the Court Pai This was the first meeting between Velasque z and Murillo . Happily for art lovers of succeeding ge ne ra ’ - ore tions , Philip s Court Painter possessed a m genial nature than many great and succe ssful 05 men . He had none of that odious form jealousy which tries to repress the talents of “ ’ those who threaten to poach on one s p re ” me serves . On the contrary , he examined so ’ of out the young man s paintings , pointing e the their deficiencies . He realised at onc limitations which had hitherto tended to stunt ’ u his visitor s geni s . He explained the secre t “ ” ome of relief as Opposed to mere polychr , “ s his The and he howed him early work , ” - s r Water carrier . The two year which Mu illo spe nt in Madrid effected a radical change in his

- e art . His fellow townsm n were amazed on his return to Se ville at the total transformation of MURILLO A ND OT HERS 1 77 “ his style It wa s n ot that he imitated u Velasquez . In no sense co ld this be said by anyone who compares the pictures of the two men . But this visit to Madrid and the guidance of Velasquez made his art what it is . He came home from the capital with his genius tuned to the right key his conventionalism was a thing of the past , and the critics of Seville agreed , that until then they had n ot realised what a s painting w . NO one who delights in the contemplation of a Murillo , Should forget that he owes his pleasure to Diego Velasquez . of In the strict meaning the word , however , u r o artist left no successor . His methods do n ot to - - lend themselves hard and fast rules , and though his influence was widespread , it was such as is imbibed by observation rather than taught in books . Don Juan Carreno can scarcely be called a of disciple Velasquez , for he had formed his n habits of art lo g before the two had met . B ut it was due to Velasquez that he resigned his position a s Judge and ceased to be a mere u ff amateur , painting whenever his d ties a orded s o him the leisure to do . Velasquez engaged him for the decoration of ’ the Alcazar , and under the great man s aus N 1 78 VELASQUEZ pioes he executed several important composi on the tions , chiefly mythological subjects , in 1 6 0 a Hall of Mirrors . In 5 Carreno was p ’ one Of fe pointed the King s painters , a pre r ment which was due in all probability to the f request o Velasquez . In the succeeding re ign ffi u His he obtained important o ces at Co rt . n portraits and frescoes are very umerous , one “ ” of n the former class bei g his Charles I I . M which hangs in the useum at Madrid . was of Carreno a man distinguished birth . He could have been made a Knight of San b ut tiago had he cared to accept this dignity , f on he re used , the ground that to be His ’ Majesty s servant was honour enough for him . He was urged by his friends t o change his mind , but he replied , Painting stands in no need of honours from anyone ; she can afford ” to n on co fer honour the whole world . Carreno died in 1 685 at the age of seventy

t wo. Another artist who came for some time under the influence of Velasquez was J uan de 1 6 f who wa s 0 . Al aro y Gamez , born in 4 He is of so a s chiefly interest , far this book is con cerned , from the fact that he printed a pam

' p hlct which was written by Velasquez . By Philip ’ s order Velasquez had charged himself

1 80 VELASQUEZ

his Descri tion o the E scu r ia l s e i p f , publi h d n 1 6 57 . It wa s to Alfaro that Palomino owed the manuscript notes which he used so largely in his ou work about various painters , and ab t ’ fa Velasquez especially . Palomino was Al ro s ’ pupil , and inherited his master s papers . ’ Without Palomino s book our information e about Velasquez would be extremely meagr . wa s e Nicolas de Villacis , who a nativ of on for Murcia , Showing remarkable talent wa s e las painting , entrusted to the care of V t d quez . But after a time he determined to s u y

. He in Rome , where he spent several years then returned to his native place where h e h u worked as an amateur , just as the mour ’ Ve la s u e z s took him , refusing q invitation to

assist in the decoration of the Alcazar . Palo as n mino describes him a great artist , basi g h his Opinion among other works , upon is frescoes in the convent of the Trinity in n o Murcia . Of these we are longer able to as e l judge , they were destroyed by damp ar y

in the last century . ’ V e la s ue z s u a r Another of q p pils , de Agui , ’ who flourished about the time of his maste r s

- On death , was known as a portrait painter . e ni is of his works was a picture of Anto o Sol , MUR ILLO AND OT HERS 1 8 1 the poet , who in return thanked the painter in is so e x a sonnet . This little poem happily so pressed , its compliments are deftly turned , ’ that it has largely contributed to Agu ia r s immortality . After praising the portrait for to its marvellous resemblance the original , the poet adds , Truly , if this picture lacks speech , that on ly adds to the liken ess ; for I myself stand speechless and amazed at looking at my i ” own face and seeing it s so lifelike . Surely this is a compliment that Disraeli might have envied . In the Vienna Museum is a picture of the is n highest interest . It k own as The Family of ” Velasquez . Authorities seem to agree as to the a uthe n ticit of sce ne y the , though there is no con temporary notice of the picture , and in spite of certain difficulties in deciding the identity of the persons represented . This painting was lost sight of until the year 1 800 wa s dis , when it covered and claimed to u be a gen ine Velasquez , containing his wife — his and family that is , daughter , her husband

Mazo , and their children . The group in the foreground upon which most light is thrown of consists a woman seated and four children . There seems to be no doubt that the woman is 1 82 VELASQUEZ

f u e the ch l J uana , the wi e of Velasq ez , whil i dren are three of her grandsons and he r gra nd daughter . Behind the eldest Of this group of children stand s a lady who places he r h a nd ’ ff n u t e r a ectio ately on the boy s head . Still f r h the de e back stands another boy , while in p t wo one of shadow of a curtain are figures , e i whom leans forward somewhat . The oth r s is azo a n erect . The former believed to be M d n the latter Pareja . The lady who is sta ding is recogn ised by Lefort as the daughte r of ac Velasquez and the wife of Mazo . At the b k of the room is a table containing the bust of a ’ — i be th woman probably Ph lip s first wife , Eliza in Bourbon , whose memory Velasquez held ust veneration . On the wall , just above the b ,

- n th and partly hidden by it , hangs a half le g portrait with the well - known feature s of

Philip IV . m is In the distance , raised above this roo , ’ e the painter s studio , lighted by a high , larg n the paned wi dow , through which the trees of u as park are visible . In this st dio stands Vel h w his h at quez , abited in Court suit , earing , engaged upon a large canvas which rests on

n - r the floor . He is painti g the full length po o trait of a woman . The French auth rity whom we have so often quoted believes it to

1 84 VELASQUEZ her simply as “ the figure in the hooped ” T h e st o gown . same writer raises the que i n as to who the artist is who stands before th e

IS son- in canvas . it Velasquez himself or his law ! He adds that if it be the form e r he must have been an uncommonly lusty grand is father , for the alcove furnished with no ‘ ’ ’ two re grandfather s chair , nothing but ba

- folding stools . If Lefort is even approximately correct as to of is the date the picture , there nothing very we e m surprising in this , and when rem ber that Velasquez w as o n ly in his sixty - second at the year when he died , we need not wonder

f - i - absence o an easy chair in h s working room . The labours which he went through as Apose n ta dor during the festivities at the I sle of Pheasants on ly a few weeks before his fatal illness could scarcely have been performed by ’ a man in whose studio a grandfather s chai r a s t w a necessity . Neither can we agree wi h this writer when he says that the portrait which h as on insufficient grounds passed for that of the wife of Velasquez bears no likeness to the woman who is seated in the picture unde r

discussion . Whether the portrait is called “ ” “ is The Sibyl , or whether it called Juana h us s Pac eco , the portrait appears to to posses M URILLO A ND OT HERS 1 8 5 a marked resemblance to the seated woman in ” The Family of Velasquez . AS to whether the picture is really by our

r n ff artist o ot opinions di er . Some critics are of is decidedly opinion that it . But the fact of a raised arm bearing a ma ce being introduced into the picture a s an heraldic design certainly to as points Mazo the author of the work . In h is M e mor a nda on F t P ictu r es ify Sir J . Robin son seems to think that the artist is Juan de n l Pareja , while Justi and Curtis i c ine to its f being the work o Mazo . Whoever painted us the picture , it enables to realise something of what the studio of Velasquez must have been , and this by itself invests it with a special n i terest . CH APTER XVI I

” T O W HAT B ASE USES !

The difficultie s of trave l in Spain in the se ve ntee nth century — ’ Similar conditions in England Ve lasquez s genius — waste d as Apose ntador Ve lasquez to blame for this — The conse que nt loss to art Re turn of Velasquez to a — — M drid His illne ss and de ath His fune ral .

h e rve the offic S we ave already obs d , e of Aposentador to the Ki ng was not con i s was r duc ve to the practice of art . If thi t ue of the duties which fell to the lot of that official ousl h in ordinary times , it was even disastr y t e case on such an occasion as the mee ti ng of the French and Spanish monarchs on the Isle of

Pheasants . Even the necessary jo urney was no light undertaking . To proceed with all possible e th e Bidassoa e in d spatch to , as we wrot a e e and former chapt r , sounds easy nough , in n the se days it would be as easy as it sou ds. But in the seventee nth century a jou rn e y from o ns a Madrid , over the Guadarrama M untai nd

1 88 VELASQUEZ while he listened to Pedro Moya ’ s description of his military adventures in Flanders , and of on the northern artists , especially e named Van ’ Dyck , whom he had met during the winter s h truce , Murillo must have felt something of t e wonder which fills the mind of an untravelle d Englishman of to- day whose friend tells him of his experiences in the Chinese Interior. We gain some notion of the almost insu r mountable difficulties which must have beset of travellers in Spain in the reign Philip IV . by reading the bitter complaints of such highly ffi a s who placed o cials the Foreign Envoys , were presumably better eq u ipped for their journ eys than private travellers who had to n s defray expenses ou t of their ow purse . Thu w e Nicolo Sagredo , the Venetian envoy , rot We got nothing but a roof over the bare

- n . n s grou d Di ing room , kitchen , beds , chair , — t and tables , attendants all had to be brough n o across country , there being rivers or canals to in transport them , while the highways were of e n a state utter neglect , and the land oft ” looked for miles and miles like a wilderness . It wa s a common thi n g for such travellers to be forced to rest for some days after reaching their destination before they were fit to transact — i b u siness SO great was their exhaust on . “ ” T O WHAT BASE USES ! 1 89

n Giustiniani , another Venetian e voy , was fifty 1 6 days , in November and December , 59 , travelling between Toulouse and Madrid , and t his he died wo months after arrival . During n winter journeys , it freque tly happened that carriages were snowed up and obliged to m re ain all night in the fields . One who had experienced the miseries of seventeenth - century travel in Spain , wrote thus Whoever wants to try his patience let him come here , he will find more proficiency made in it than in a ” Franciscan convent .

But we should , in fairness , remember that

England , considerably later even than the time of n o which we speak , was better provided

of . as with the conveniences travel Macaulay , m h as most readers will reme ber , supplied us with a graphic description of what our ancestors were forced to endure . Thus we are told that when Prince George of Denmark Visited the of stately mansion Petworth in wet weather , wa s six he hours going nine miles , and it was necessary that a body of sturdy hinds should be on each side of his coach in order to prop it And a Viceroy on his way to Dubli n was n o off was s better , for he five hour in travel ling fourteen miles , from Saint Asaph to Con w way . Between Con ay and Beaumaris he was 1 90 VELA SQUEZ

of his forced to walk a great part the way , and l was ady was carried in a litter . His coach ffi l an with much di culty , and by the he p of m y l hands , brought after him entire . In genera , to and carriages were taken pieces at Conway , borne on the Shoulders of stout Welsh peasants to t the Menai Straits . In some parts of Ken a n d Sussex none but the strongest horses could , at in winter , get through the bog , in which w e every step they sank deep . The markets er a inaccessible during several months . It is s id that the fruits of the earth were sometime s ff rot t su ered to in one place , while in ano her f l place , distant only a few miles , the supply el ” 1 far short of the demand . the However much , therefore , we may scorn f s l want o Civilisation of the Spanish Penin u a , of f e t at the time Velasquez , we should not org u r n ff W e that o ow ancestors were no better o . have thus obtained a glimpse of the conditions l under which Velasquez was forced to trave . B u t it w a s only when his destination was R e reached that his real work began . ememb r ing all this it is difficult to avoid a feeling of irritation at the folly which permitted his to his s genius be wasted , and health and energie exhausted by the countless details of a Royal

1 ' a ca l H istor o E n la n d vol . c a . M u a y s y f g , . i h p. iii

1 9 2 VELASQUEZ

l u we recorded in a previous chapter , was a cra one s a la r tive , and it carried along with the y ffi u r an o cial residence in the Madrid Treas y . T o measure the loss which we have susta in e d by the occupations of Velasquez in the I sle of n s re n Pheasa t , we have but to read the F ch accounts of the brilliant scenes which we re on c enacted that historic spot , and to re all th e pictures in which French artists have immor

talis e d . h as them The theme , as been we ll of al e remarked , was worthy the pen of Sir W t r

Scott , and it is certainly strange that Philip , who w a s s o thoroughly appreciative of Ve las ’ ue z s n q powers , should have let slip this golde opportunity of turning them to the most bril

- one liant account . The twenty stations betwe e n

Madrid and St . Sebastian must have presente d ’ a multitude of subjects for the artist s b rush s cenes of departed grandeur as well as of an cient baronia] halls and their noble maste rs ; ’ all alace of above , the Cardinal s gorgeous p l and c ous A cala , to say nothing of the quaint uri pageantry with which the royal progre ss was ob able everywhere greeted . It is more than pr that ou r artist would have given u s a fe w sce nes at least from his well - stored memory if he h ad been spared long enough to undertake the work . But this was not to be . “ ” T O WHAT BASE USES ! 1 9 3

th 1 660 . He arrived at home on the 7 of J une , ’ His wife s astonishment at the sight of his face wa s of as great as her joy , for a report his death had somehow reached Madrid , and had gained credit there . The rumour was unhappily but a u forecast of the truth . Through J ne and J uly f u he pursued the ordinary tenor of his li e , n Of W was conscious hat possibly the case , that he carried in him the germs of a fatal disease

on se a - which he had imbibed the coast . On I st of the 3 July , after a busy morning spent with the King , he became feverish , and he hastened to his home in the Treasury . He was Soon after seized with painful Spasms in heart and stomach , and the royal physicians whom Philip sent pronounced the case to be a dan

e rous of r g attack tertian fever . From the ve y outset they seem to have entertained no hope of a cure . He was visited by the Archbishop of Tyre , from whose hands the artist received f the last Sacraments . He then con erred upon his ue nsalida friend , Don Gaspar de F , full ’ th testamentary powers , and at two O clock on e 6 th afternoon of Friday , August , he breathed

- his last . He was in the sixty second year of his age . Philip evinced the most genuine sympathy and distress during the seven days that his old 0 1 94 VELASQUEZ

’ f as e e and his ri f frie nd s li e w in susp ns , g e whe n s the end came wa ve ry gre at . The body of the illustrious painte r wa s f as a t of an tia clothed in his uni orm Knigh S go, rn at a e rs with the mantle which is wo Ch pt , th e ’ s and s r e oots Knight s hat , word pu r d b , and on his he e the d r breast t red badg of Or e . T h us

his -c ambe r he lay all that night in death h . T he was room hung round with black , while ne ar the bed were placed lighte d ca ndle s a nd a ffi he was l crucifix . The co n in which p ace d on the following day was o rname nte d with a r s black velvet and gold nails , with c o s ove r the was carr ed it . When night came body i to the parish church of St . John the Baptist, wh e re ’ it was received by the King s Chambe rla in s the T h and placed before altar . e fune ra l service was celebrated with the utmost sole m nit its al n y, and at close Don Joseph de S i as ,

Knight of Calatrava , with other knights , bore

ffi to its - the co n last resting place . Thus ended the brilliant caree r of which we t — a e have given a shor account the c re r , un blemished by dishonour , of one who in the height of worldly success ne ver lost the kind ness of heart and simplicity of disposition ar e his e a which had ch act rised stud nt ye rs . We would fain k now more than we do of his

C H A P T E R XVI I I — POSTHUMOUS CALUMNY CONCLUSION

T would be more agreeable to stop he ’ leaving on the reader s mi nd the imp re s and r d in of sorrow , generous ung u g g, w undoubtedly filled the hearts of most of t h B w o had known Velasquez in life . ut I ti who had compels us to add that the ar st , shown himself free from the jealousy w poisons the life and happiness of so m wa s himself the object of that odious pas sse ssed in others . While he lived and po full favour of the King the mouths of e nv detractors were kept closed from moti ve prudence . But no sooner was he l aid in grave than rumours dishonouring to his putation were spread about . These stt r had reference solely to money matte s . That the financial affairs of the palace i in a disgraceful state of confusion was admi

l d s ffi se e ho V 1 on a l si e , but it is di cult to w for On quez could be blamed that . the rar one the ff t y, he was of principal su erer 1 96 POSTHUMOUS CALUMNY 1 97 the condition of affairs With empty coffers off a palace is no better than a cottage , and when the lack of money is so great that the servants strike work ; when the inmates have to do without stoves in the severity of a

Madrid winter , and the ladies of the Court

have to send out for food , and the gentlemen to go about in tattered garments ; and when we hear Velasquez himself complain at one time that no less than sixty thousand reals of his annual salary are still owing to him , it would surely be unjust to blame the Court f r Painter o the financial chaos . his ff When a airs came to be looked into , ’ was Ve la s ue z s however , it found that q estate wa s in debt to the Treasury . The business connected with his oflice of Court Painter and Aposentador had so filled the time since his return from Italy that he had not completed his statement of accounts when his life was unexpectedly cut short . The arrangement of the art - treasures which he had acquired in Italy must have occupied months , perhaps years . For the purchase of s um of these a money had , of course , been advanced . Again , Velasquez had charge of another sum to defray the expenses of the journey to the Isle of Pheasants . 1 9 8 VELASQUEZ The account of these moneys was a work r Ve for which the artist had had no leisu e . ’ las ue z s e wn nd q account had been ov rdra , a his oflice alace when death occurred , his of P was to w a Marshal in debt to the Treasury , h t to English ears Sounds the appalling sum of on e million two h u n red a nd twe n t thousa nd , d y , s n u n r i ’ e ve h dred a nd se ve nty ma a ved s . Our alarm is somewhat mitigate d whe n we learn that this awful sum when translate d i nto 0 English dwindles down to £75 . was ffi e ntl Even this debt , however , su ci y to t heavy burden his family somewhat , and , o a r make matters worse , the Mayordomo M yo ’ ofli ia l Ve las u z s e rt put his c seal upon q e prop y. a rs An investigation followed , lasting five ye , at the end of which time it wa s discove re d that the sum due was greatly diminished by reason of the money which was still owing f s His to the artist or wages and picture . s on - in - e law , Mazo , though he had a larg of d family , made good half what remaine due , while the rest was considered cancelled by the ’ deceased man s personal estate .

ffi e v d. Then , at last , the o cial bar was r mo e But this did not take place until close upon six ’ years after the artist s death .

l h 1 660 tor On the ot of August , , an inven y

B I B L I O G RA P H Y

Ama dor de los os Sevilla i n toresca 0 descri t ion de Ri . p p su s mas e l br s M on u me n tos a rtisti os Se v lla C e e c . i , 1 844 .

' El A rt e n Es a na revista u in ce n a l de las a rtes del e p , q — ibu o. adr d 1 86 2 0 d j M i , 7 . D r n le do F ra ncisco P a che co s us . ose a a As e s o o . J M i i y T ,

ob a s a rtis ticas i r a s S v ll 1 . r y l te a r i . e i a , 867 ’ '

B osa rt Via e a rti t o va rios ueblos a e Es a na . e . g s ic 21 p p

a dr d 1 80 . M i , 4

e a n e rmude z Di ioh tor i ode los ma il ustre C B . cciona r is c s s ro esores de las bella a rtes e n Es a ti a Ma dr d p f s p . i ,

1 800.

D. e dro de adra zo Via e a rtistico de tres s z los or P M . g g p l as cole ccion es a rce lona 1 88 . B , 4.

' D e dr de r z lo o d i tor ico . o a d a o a ta escr i tivo e h s P M . C g p

del M us eodel P rado Ma dr d 1 8 2 . i , 7 .

D e dro de r n . a d a z u rso in a u u ral le ido e la P M o. Disc g A ca de mia n a cional de n obles a rtes de sa n Fern a ndo

Se sion de l 2 0 Nov e m r M dr 1 0 ( i b e , a id, 87 .

ra nc sco a c e co. El a rte de la in tu ra su a n tz u edad F i P h p , g

ra n desas Se v lla 1 6 . y g . i , 49 a lomno de a str E M us o i tori co P i C o y Ve la sco. l e p c y — Esca la o tica . Ma dr d 1 1 2 p i , 7 5 4 . a rco De l Va lle Do n o n o a r h is tor ia Z . cume t s i edit s p a la de la s bella s a rtes e n Es a iia Ma dr d 1 8 0 p . i , 7 .

20 1 2 02 VELASQUEZ

e fe rino A ra u o Sa nc e z Lo M useos dc E s a fla . C j h . s p

a dr d 1 8 . M i , 75 M dr d 1 An ton o onz Via d Es tia . a 8 . i F . ge e pa i , 7 7 M drid 1 An ton o Pon z Via e u e ra de Es a fia . a . i . g f p , 785

ruz mil R u n di loma ticoes a fiol Madrid a da Villa a be s . C . p p , 1 874 .

r uza da Villa a mil R evista E u ro ea I n ormacion es de C . p f l a s ca l ida des de Die ode Silva Ve las u ez A ose n ta dor g q , p

de a a u a ma r d S. a ra el ha b ito p l cioy ay da de c a e M . p

u e r t n d d d n d S iior Sa n tia o ii q p e e e e la or e el e g . T . . ,

1 8 . dr d 74 Ma i .

V ce nte C a rdu ho Dia lo o de la P in tu ra . Madrid i c . g s , 1 633 .

Ga le r ie A ua do n oti u i n tres a r L Via r g ces s r les pe , p . dot. a r s 1 8 — 1 P i , 39 4 .

' ’

L . Via rdot L es M u seos d Es a ne . a r s 1 860 . . p g P i ,

' léme n t d R i L M u see ro a l de M a dr id. a r i C e s . e y P s, 1 8 59 . E a rle s B la nc. H is toire des P e in tres . cole es a n Ch p g ole . r P a is . ’ B e ulé Ca u se r ies su r l a rt. a r s 1 86 . . P i , 7 ' ’ W B ur e r or Tresors d a rt n A n . e . e l ete m . g (T Th ) g .

a r s 1 86 . P i , 5

W u r e r or . Velas u ez i oeu r s. a r . . e c ses v e is B g (T Th ) q P ,

1 865.

' M moi d l a u z u r ua ra n t Da v ll e r . e re e Ve s e s e ct Ch . i i q q

' ’ u n ta bl a u x n o e a r P h il i I V a l Escuria l e e v y s p pp e . . a r s 1 8 P i , 74 .

Cor re s on da n ce de H e n r i R e n a ult re c ue ill ie et a nnoté p g , e

a r A rth u r D u a rc a r s 1 8 2 . p p . P i , 7

a r ie tte A b ceda r io. a r s 1 8 M . e P i , 57.

D ion n a ir de P in tr s a no r i u lle t . ict e s e es e ls a s Q i p g . P , 1 1 8 5.

204 VELASQUEZ

a rl u h h n mm st . a rbuc d r P r ussische . Kunsts a C J i j e l f. e lun n 1 ge , 887.

a rl ust Ve la s u ez a nd h is Times T ransla ted b C J i . q . y

rofe ssor K e a ne 1 . P , 889

E . Le la in H i stor g. y .

P . Le fort Velas uez ri . . q . Pa s, 1 888 e d lll moir e . R i .

Ste ve n on Velas uez . s . q I NDE X

A u ar de 1 80 1 8 1 ode ones 1 0—1 g i , , , B g , 3 , 33 , 34 A lban ona arte ose 1 1 i , 53 B p , J ph , Alcala Duke of 6 or e se alace , , 3 B gh , P , 53 ” Alcala alace of 1 2 orrac os Los 2 —6 , P , 9 B h , , 3 Alcazar Lu s de l 1 ourbon El zabe t 1 82 , i , 5 B , i h , A lcazar adr d 0 8 ra anza Duke of 8 , M i , 3 , 37, 3 , B g , , 7 6 8 1 1 re da Surre nde r of —8 4. 73, 7 . 99. 4 5. 77 B , , 93 Alcazar e lc or de l 1 B uc in ham Duke of 2 , M hi , 5 g , , 5, Aldobrandini 2 g , 53

A le ande r . 1 0 1 ue n e t ro 1 0 6 x VII , B R i , , 5 Al ardi 1 06 g , A n e l co Fra 1 6 alab rese 1 0 g i , , 4 C , 5

A nton St. and St . a ul alde ron 2 1 y, , P , C , 1 6 1 68 C aliari aul 6 5, , P , 4 A ran ue z 80 - aracc olo 6 j , 3 C i , 3 A roue t de Volta re 1 1 1 Carducho 6 6 i , , , 3 A runde l Earl of 1 00 ar o ouse of 8 , , C pi , H , 5 A stur as r nce of the or arre no uan 1 1 8 i , P i (p C , J , 77 , 7 tra t 1 —2 astr llo ount of 1 i ), 9 C i , C , 37 A ve nue of the ue e n atalon a e volt in 8 —0 Q , C i , R , 9 9 ” The 80 axesi 6 , C , 3 e rva te s C n , 57

Balan on arles . ortra t of 1 8 c , 97 Ch II (p i ), 7 alt azar arlos 6 86 arle s r nce of En land B h C , 5, Ch , P i , g , arbe r n affe o Sec rban 2 2 6 B i i , M . U 5, arles r nce of En land VIII . Ch , P i , g arbola ar a 1 1 ortra t of 2 B , M i , 74, 75, 3 (p i ), 7 arce lona 8 olonna 1 B , 7 C , 43 a ut sta rau uan 2 2 6 Condo 8 B i , F J , , 3 , 9

e re tt n e tro 1 0 ook Sir F . 1 B i i , Pi , 5 C , , 3 e rn n ore nzo 6 B i i , 54 C , 3 206 VELASQUEZ

oronat on T he 16 — Games uan de Alfaro C i , , 3 5 , J y,

ortona e tro di. Sec 1 8 C , Pi 7 e re tt n ordano uca 1 B i i Gi , L , 35 os mo e ro di or one C i , Pi , 77 Gi gi , 49 ra e r 2 8 ust niani 1 8 C y , Gi i , 9 C re sce nzi 6 on ora ortrait of 1 1 6 , 3 G g (p ), 5, ruc on The 6 —0 rammont Duke of 1 C ifixi , , 9 7 G , , 45 ue nca 8 2 8 reco El 6 2 C , , 3 G , , , 9 urt s 1 8 rosvenor House C i , 5 G , 43 uerc no G i , 53 ’ Da ue rre s nve nt on u do e n 6 g i i , G i R i , 4 D srae l 1 8 1 uzman Gas e rez de i i , G , P , Dome n c no ount of N e bla 1 i hi , 53 C i , 47

Dor a alle r 1 1 uzman e nr ue de . Sac i G y , 3 G , H iq Dwarfs —8 ul l o , 73 J iani l D ck A Van 1 88 y , . , aro 1 H , 59 El r Sec reco e rmta e alle r 1 2 G eco. G H i g G y, 7 Elle sme re Lord 8 e rre ra ranc scode Ve las , , 5 H , F i , “ En l s Lad ortra t of uez be come s u l of gi h y (p i q p pi , 4 an 1 e cce ntr c e n us of ), 99 i g i , 5 Escurial 6 1 0 62 1 fe llow- u l of ach , , 5, 4 , , 37, p pi P eco, I 4 3 E uls on of the or scos re bels a a nst S ani xp i M i , g i p sh - 8 s ste f art 6 37 y mo , 5, 28 re se ntme nt of, , 2 9 aml of Ve las uez 1 82 r se mblance to V F i y q , e e las

e rd nand . 1 1 uez 2 F i VII , q , 9 e rnando Don 2 uest on ofhis nfluenc F , , 4 q i i e e rre ra on Ve las uez 2 0 F , 49 q , 9 , 3 , 34 fe Earl 2 c aracte r st s of Fi , , 7 h i ic , in onseca uan 1 1 6 1 2 ortra t of Admral are F , J , 5, , 7 , p i i P j a, or e of Vulcan The 2 F g , , 7 6 - 8 e tesb ur ord 5 H y y , L , 35 ounta n of the r tons Hilande ras Las 1 0 - F i T i , , , 4 3 ” 8 1 The ,

rancis or a St. 168 16 nat us of Lo ola St. 1 2 F B gi , , , 9 Ig i y , , ue nsalida as ar de 1 1 68 1 6 F , G p , 93 , 9 — F ue ntarrabia 1 8 2 1 nfanta ar a ar ar ta , 4 5 , 55 I M i M g i , 6 1 afte rwards Que e n of

2 08 VELASQUEZ

Ol vare s ves resents to ac eco his infl u i gi p P h , ence on Ve las ue z Ve las uez 2 —0 q , 45 q , 9 3 ’ we lcomes the art st on — Ve las uez s ortr i q p ait for, his re turn from tal 6 6 I y , 4 5

ro oses e uestr an ac eco uana. See V p p q i P h , J e las

statue of h l I V. 6 uez . P i ip , 5 q , J ortra ts of b Ve las Padovanino l l. See Varota ri p i , y , , ue z 68 6 Ale andro q , , 9 x “ favours El r mo alomno remark on H P i , P i , er re sults of his ol c 8 re ra p i y , 7 , 5 ’ ado ts ulianillo 8 on Velas uez s so p J , 3, q journ w t a 8 i h P checo, ’ last ortra t of 86 8 on Ve las uez s i fl p i , , 7 q n ue nce falls into d s race 8 on tal an art 1 1 1 i g , 7 I i , 4, 75 e le d from adr d and on a ortrait b ar a xi M i p y P ej , d e s 88 1 2 i , 7 ” s m at of Ve las uez on the Memoria y p hy q , for I , 9 79 e ff t on h l I V f r kn e c P i ip . o most of ou owl the de at of 0 1 2 of Vel nez ow n to 1 h , 9 , 4 i g , O nate V ce ro of Na le s re mar on N colas d , i y p , i e V llac s 1 80 i i , O ran e ouse Of on the absurd t of g , H , 93 i y O ste nd ca ture of turn n Ve las uez nto an , p , 94 i g q i ov rwork d urt r 1 e e co ie , 9 ! ac eco ranc sco Ve las are a Adr an Pulido P h , F i , P j , i , ue z b come s u l of 6 Admral ortrait of q e p pi , i (p ), 7 1 , studies and characte r of 6 Pare a uan de acoom i . . 7 j , ] , es me thod of training Ve la uez to Madri 1 7 Ve las ue z 8 to tal q , 7, y , 45 ’ conse nts to his dau h Velas uez s ortrait of g q p , ’ te r s marriage with Ve las 108 ue z 8 is or n and l fe 1 6 q , , 9 igi i , 9 “ allude s to Bos ue xo stud es art se cretl and q , i y 0 2 7 reveals his talent, 1 7 su s ortra t of is ma umss on 1 1 gge ts p i h n i i , 7 “ on ora 1 his cture The Call G g , 5 pi ” - e ults in success of in of St. atthe w 1 1 2 x g M , 7 Ve las uez 2 8 his ortra ts 1 2 - q , p i , 7 3 I NDEX 2 09

V c v aul St. of e be s and l I . de e ed b Ve las P , , Th , Phi ip i y ’ - r al sm St. Ant on 1 6 8 uez s e h y , 5 q i , 73 e la o 1 8 his fanc for dwarfs P y , 4 y , 75 e ll ce r de Salas 2 2 se ts out for Sara ossa P i , g , Pe rtusano N colas to , i i , 74, 1 1 1 6 so ourns at Aran uez 3 , 3 j j ,

- h l . 80 I P i ip II , 79 9 ili 6 68 re a rs to Cuenca and Ph p III . , 7, p i

ili I V. K n of S a n to Sara ossa 82 Ph p , i g p i g , ask e cl b ons a t re turns to adr d 8 y F ec o M i , 3 commss on Ve las uez 1 d s race s Ol vares 8 - 8 i i q , 5 i g i , 7 ’ inspe cts Velasquez s his admi ration for ortra t of Fonse ca 1 Ve las uez 8 p i , 7 q , 9 his c aracte r and taste s trave ls to A ra on be h , g , his love of art 1 8—2 2 s e e s and ca ture s Le r da , i g p i , e m lo s Ve las uez 2 2 8 —0 p y q , 9 9 is a nte d b Ve las uez p i y q , his e ue str an ortra t q i p i , los s his u e Q ee n , 9 1 appoi nts Ve lasquez se nds Ve lasquez to ourt ainte r 2 8 tal 100 C P , I y , 99 , orde rs Ve lasq uez tolive incre ase d appreciation in adr d 0 of the art st 1 1 M i , 3 i , 5 anothe r eque strian por appoints him Apose n tra t 1 tador a or 1 1 6 i , 3 M y , his a e arance in or b rt of a r nce ss 1 1 pp p i h p i , 7 traiture 2 is s d n or 1 1 8 , 3 h e con co s t, orde rs the compe tition - 20 cture E uls on of the olds ubl c fest v t e s pi xp i h p i i i i , or scos 6 1 2 1 — M i , 3 3 re wards Ve las uez con des in Velas uez q , 37 fi q , I 2 4- 5 s ts to ube ns 0 1 a ars in Las Men i R , 4 , 4 ’ ubens o n on of 1 2 R pi i , 4 pe rmits Ve lasquez to his de light at the trave l cture tow c he make s , 45 pi , hi h r r an t on 1 we lcomes his e tu n addi i , 35 and assign s him ne w e mploys Ve lasquez to rooms 6 — arran e art tre asure s in , 4 5 g e ue str an statue 6 66 the Escur al 1 —8 q i , 5, i , 37 2 1 0 VELASQUEZ

f V N l s 0 l I V. re use s e las uez ouss n c o a 1 Phi ip q P i , i h , 5 e rmiss on to v s t tal rado adr d “ 1 2 1 p i i i I y , P , M i , 9 , , 5, I - 1 1 0 1 44 5 3 , onfe rs K n t ood of rimo El —6 igh h P , , 75 Sant a o on Ve las uez ros e r l 1 i g q , P p , Phi ip , 37 1 46 se ts out for the sland ueen ot e r of rance I Q M h F , of e asants 1 2— 1 - 8 Ph , 5 5 55 me e ts hi s r 1 s iste , 55 e ffe cts of o ve t onal a ae l 0 2 roo c n n i R ph , 4 , 5 , e t ue tte 1 —6 e nolds Sir os ua 1 1 iq , 55 R y , J h , 4 me e ts the K n of be ra use e 6 101 — i g Ri , J p , 3 , 3 rance 1 6 - be ra ar a osa 102 F , 5 7 Ri , M i R , , his a e arance 1 —8 1 0 pp , 57 3 mor starts on his ome ward ob nson Sir . Me h R i J , ’ ourne sto s at ur os anda 1 8 j y , p B g f 5 and Valladolid r ur s to o e 1 —6 10 —1 , e t n R m , 5 3 , 4 5

adrid 1 6 1 - 2 sa alvator 1 06 10 M , Ro , S , , 7

se e s cture b are a o as . de 2 1 pi y P j R x , F , and su e sts his manu ube ns e te r aul 2 2 8 gg R , P P , 3 , , mss on 1 0 - i i , 7 39 45) 55 appoints Carre noCourt a nte r 1 8 Sac e tt ul o P i , 7 h i , Gi i , 49 ortra t in The aml a re do N colo 1 88 p i F i y S g , i , ” of Ve las uez 1 82 al nas ose de 1 q , S i , J ph , 94 d ffi cultie s of trave l in alute Ve n ce 10 1 i S , i , his re n 1 86- an e bast an 1 8 ig , 9 S S i , 4 how far to blame for antos ranc scode 105 1 S , F i , 79, Ve lasque z be i ng Apose n 1 80 tador 1 1 Sara ossa 82 1 , 9 g , 79 , , 73 his fa lure to e m lo v lle comme rc al and i p y Se i , i the art st to de t the rt st or an ce of in i pic a i ic imp t , o al ro re ss 1 2 se ve nteent ce n tur 1 2 R y P g , 9 h y , , his d stre ss at the ill b rt of Ve las uez at i i h q , 3 ne ss and de ath of Ve las He rre ra and Pacheco ue z l - in —6 q , 93 4 , 4 “ his rote ct on of the Wate r- rr r of 10 p i ca ie , art st fromcal umn 1 6 1 2 1 6 i y , 9 , 7 Pontoza 6 sc ools of art in adr d , 7 h M i orde none 6 and n 1 8 P , 4 i , 7

2 1 2 VELASQUEZ Ve lasquez falls ill and is Ve l sc uez and his last pa1 ’ move d to nt r tid iof Ol vares 86 Mo e ey s i , ’ alace his sorrow at Olivar P , 55 es pai nts portrait of him disgrace and his sympathy se lf The or e of w t him , F g i h , “ ’ Vulcan and ose s accom an e s the o , J ph p i C urt ” oat 6—6 2 to ra o 8 C , 5 A g n, 9 v sits Na le s 6 a nts h l as Victor i p , 3 p i P i ip re turns to adr d is of Le r da 0 M i , i , 9 we lcome d by Olivare s and his pictures of Queen ili 6 sabe lla and of the rin Ph p , 4 I P ce confe rs w t l of the Astur as 1—2 i h Phi ip i , 9 about e ue str an statue of his cture q i pi , The ” the K n su l e s acca Surrende r of reda i g, pp i T B , a th ortraits 6 monume nt toS nola - 8 p , 5 pi , 9 3 ’ his dau te r s marr a e a o nte d ns ector f gh i g , pp i i p o wo k i Al — r s n cazar, 98 9 pain ts othe r portraits of starts for second visit to

l . e ue str an of tal Phi ip III ( q i ), I y, 99 ue e n ar are t 6 re ac e s lan an Q M g , 7 h Mi d of Ol vare s 68 6 Ve n ce 100 i , , 9 i , aints The ruc his urc ases in Veni p C i p h ce , ” on 6 — 0 oes to ome and to fixi , 9 7 g R ortra t of Admral Na le s to obtain bronz p i i p es, Parej a which de ce ive s and re ne ws acquaintance il 1 — w t be ra 10 1 102 Ph ip, 7 3 i h Ri , , a nt n s of dwarfs rocee ds to ome h p i i g p R , is Se bast an orra El artisticsurroundin s 10 — i M , g , 4 7 ” r mo N colas to Pe rtu commss one d b nno P i , i i i i y I sano ar a arbola ce nt to a nt his , M i B , 74 , 75 X . p i se ts out w t the ourt ortra t he first aints i h C p i , p for Sara ossa t at of are a the re at g , 79 h P j ; g his pai ntings of scene ry succe ss of this portrait ; he ’ a t A ran uez 80 8 1 is le cte d to t. uk j , , e S L e s — oe s to ue nca ol na Acade m 10 8 g C , M i , y , 7 an d Sara ossa 82 a nts the ortra t of g , p i p i re turns w t the ourt nnoce nt the d fficulties i h C I , i to adr d 8 of his task 10 - 1 M i , 3 , 9 3 ’ paints Olivare s adopte d the e nthusiasm caused son ulianillo 8 86 b the ortrait 1 1 , J , 5, y p 4 INDEX 2 1 3

Ve las uez his urchases in Ve las uez conve s ou s q , p q y L i ’ m and r r o e e turn to XI V. s ese nts to l R p Phi ip , adr d 1 1 1 M i , 5 57 appointe d Aposentador appe arance at the — a or 1 1 6 a eants 1 - 60 M y , 7 P g , 59 portrait of Que e n impre ssionism and “ ar ana at ra er 1 1 m st cal art The Coro M i p y , 9 y i , ” “ arran es tal an ur nat on St. aul and g I i p i , P ” - c ases 1 2 St. Ant on t. ranc s h , 3 4 h y, S F i ” ntercourse w t h l or a 1 6 - i i h P i ip, B gi , 3 9 1 2 d sc le s 1 6 - 4 i ip , 9 74 a nts mn ature of nflue nces tal an art p i i i i I i , u ar a a 1 2 6 I Q ee n M i n , 5 “ th c ur as Me n me e tsand el s ur lo e pi t e L h p M il , ” na 1 2 8 - 6 I - i s, 3 7S 7 portrait of the Infanta others influenced by a r ta a d Don him wr te s th Memor ia M aria M rga i n , i e , l ros e r 1 1 - 80 Phi ip P p , 37 77 “ off c al occu at ons The aml of Velas i i p i , F i y arran e me n t of cture s uez 1 8 1 — g pi q , 5 in the Escur al Catalo ue hards s of trave l i , g , hip , 1 —8 work of A ose ntador art 37 , p , ' ’ Al aner a Abr amad a losse s 1 86— 2 , , 9 d stance ne ce ssar for it llness de ath and i y , i , , — I - 0 fun ra 1 39 4 e l , 93 5 “ Las Hilande ras ost umous calumn , p h y , — — 140 3 1 96 9 lon n for tal Ve las uez ranc sca dau h gi g I y q , F i , g k b the k n 1 - te r of the art st marr a e che c e d y i g, 44 5 i , i g , acts cice rone to the r Ambassador 1 ortra t 1 8 1 F e nch , 45 (p i ), r v th e ross of Ve las uez uana de randa e ce i e s C q , J Mi , Sant a o 1 6 w fe of the art st marr a e i g , 4 i i , i g , k 1 6 ove rwor , 4 9 f r h as l of rtra t 1 8 1 18 starts o t e C t e (po i ), 9 , , 4, a ia d orate s 1 8 F ue ntarr b , e c 5 h v l o on th sl of deat 1 t e pa i i n e e h , 95 I — easants 1 8- Ve n ce 6 Ph , 4 9 i , 4 9 l rs as A ose ntador Ve ronese aolo 6 abou p , , P , 4 , 47, 1 51 10 1 2 1 4 VELASQUEZ

Vianne Ven e an a t ste V tell ard nal y , J B p i , i i , C i , 77 ’ e 1 Cur of A rs, 1 1 Viardot 1 6 Wa e n 1 , 3 g , 33 “ V enna use um 1 8 1 Wate r- carr er The 10 i M , i , , V e w of Sara ossa 1 1 2 1 6 i g , 73 , 7 V llac s N colas de 1 80 We ll n ton Duke of 1 1 i i , i , i g , , , Villa e d c 1 1 M i i , 54 , 55 4 Villara l 1 1 We stmnste r Duke of 86 e , 5 i , , V lle r 1 W te all 1 i oy , 59 hi h , 37 V nci Le onardo da 8 i , , 5 , 77, me ne s 1 Xi , 9 V isit of St. Anthony to St. ” a ul the 1 6 1 68 Zola 6 P , , 5, , 3