Las Meninas facts for kids

Las Meninas, a famous painting by Velázquez

Las Meninas is a very famous oil painting by the Spanish Diego Velázquez. He was a well-known painter. He finished the painting in 1656. You can see it today in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, which is the capital of Spain.

The name "Meninas" means "ladies-in-waiting" or "Maids of Honour." These were girls who helped out in a royal court. This painting is full of details. Many people have studied it because it's quite complex. For example, viewers often wonder who is looking at whom and why they are standing in certain places.

What the Painting Shows

Las Meninas shows a big room inside the royal palace in Madrid. This was the home of King Philip IV of Spain. Many people are in the painting, and we know who most of them are. Some are looking at each other. Others are looking straight out of the painting at you, the viewer!

The main person in the middle is the Infanta Margarita Teresa of Austria. She was the princess, daughter of the king and queen. She has two maids of honour, one on each side. There is also a chaperone, a bodyguard, two dwarfs, and a dog.

Velázquez himself is also in the painting. He stands behind the princess and her friends. He is at his easel, which is a stand for painting. He has paused from painting and is looking right at you.

At the back of the room, there is a mirror. In the mirror, you can see the top parts of the king and queen. This makes many people think that the king and queen are the ones looking at the painting. It's possible that Velázquez was painting them, and the princess was watching.

Velázquez was very famous when he was alive. He painted many portraits of royal people in Spain. King Philip IV did not like having his picture painted when he was older. But he let Velázquez include him in Las Meninas. The king even gave Velázquez a special room to paint in. He often watched the artist work in his studio.

Detail of the Infanta Margarita, King Philip IV's daughter

Changes to the Painting Over Time

The painting was slightly damaged by a fire in 1734. Some parts of it had to be repainted. This included the left cheek of the Infanta. In more recent years, some of its bright colors faded. This was partly because of pollution from so many visitors. The painting was cleaned in 1984. Some people thought it looked different after the cleaning.

Who Are the People in Las Meninas?

The people in Las Meninas are in Velázquez's studio. The Infanta Margarita Teresa of Austria (number 1 in the key picture) is five years old. She later married the Roman Emperor Leopold. She has two ladies-in-waiting, also called meninas.

• Doña Isabel de Velasco (2) is about to curtsy to the princess.
• Doña María Agustina Sarmiento de Sotomayor (3) kneels in front of Margarita. She is offering her a drink from a red cup, or bucaro, on a golden tray.

To the right of the Infanta are two dwarfs:

• Maribarbola (4) was from Germany.
• Nicolas Pertusato (5) was from Italy. He is trying to wake up a dog by his feet.

Behind them stands doña Marcela de Ulloa (6). She was the princess's chaperone. She is dressed in mourning clothes. She is talking to a bodyguard (or guardadamas) (7). We do not know the bodyguard's name.

At the back on the right is Don José Nieto Velázquez (8). He was the queen's chamberlain in the 1650s. He was also in charge of the royal tapestry works. He might have been related to the artist. Nieto is shown pausing, with one knee bent. We are not sure what he is doing. None of the people in the picture can see him. Only the viewer (perhaps the king and queen?) can.

Velázquez himself (9) stands on the left side of the painting. He is looking out past a large canvas on an easel. On his chest, you can see the red cross of the Order of Santiago. He did not receive this honor until 1659. That was three years after he finished the painting. He added the cross to the painting later.

The mirror on the back wall shows the upper bodies and heads of King Philip IV (10) and his queen, Mariana (11). Most people believe that Velázquez was painting them. They think their daughter, the Infanta, was watching them.

Images for kids

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  The Infanta Margaret Theresa (1651–1673), in mourning dress for her father in 1666, by del Mazo. The background figures include her young brother Charles II and the dwarf Maribarbola, also in Las Meninas. She left Spain for her marriage in Vienna the same year.

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  Key to the people represented in Las Meninas

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  Detail showing Don José Nieto Velázquez at the door in the background

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  Detail of the mirror, showing Philip IV and his wife, Mariana of Austria

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  Detail of Doña María de Sotomayor, showing Velázquez's brushwork

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  Detail of the mirror in van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait.

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  In the Arnolfini Portrait (1434), Jan van Eyck used a mirror in a similar way to Velázquez.

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  Diego Velázquez's Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, 1618.

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  Francisco Goya's Charles IV of Spain and His Family is similar to Las Meninas.

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  John Singer Sargent, The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit, 1882.

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  In 1957, Pablo Picasso painted 58 versions of Las Meninas.

See Also

In Spanish: Las meninas para niños