Paintings between 1631 and 1635
by VELÁZQUEZ

When Velázquez was appointed court painter in Madrid, his principal task was to paint portraits of Philip IV, a duty that he performed to perfection. The portraits of the Spanish Habsburgs painted in profusion by Velázquez are among the finest and best examples of court portraiture in the history of European art. Velázquez's earliest contribution to the decoration of the Buen Retiro is the luminous St Anthony Abbot and St Paul the Hermit, his first picture with an extensive landscape background.

Philip IV was a bold and enthusiastic huntsman. It was the task of Velázquez to execute a series of hunting portraits to hang in the Torre de la Parada, the king's hunting lodge. The three extant hunting portraits by Velázquez, Philip IV as a Huntsman, Prince Baltasar Carlos as a Hunter, and Cardinal Infante Don Fernando as a Hunter, are life-size. This project cost Velázquez a great deal of time and trouble, but it also won him increasing appreciation at court.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 9 minutes):
Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in B flat major RV 362 op. 8 No. 10 (Hunt)

Preview Picture Data File Info Comment
Doña Antonia de Ipeñarrieta y Galdós and her Son Luis
c. 1631
Oil on canvas, 215 x 100 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid

539*971
True Color
103 Kb



Philip IV in Brown and Silver
1631-32
Oil on canvas, 200 x 113 cm
National Gallery, London

700*1231
True Color
119 Kb



Queen Isabel, Standing
1631-32
Oil on canvas, 207 x 119 cm
Private collection

700*1282
True Color
144 Kb



Prince Baltasar Carlos with a Dwarf
1631
Oil on canvas, 128 x 102 cm
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

900*1168
True Color
137 Kb



Prince Baltasar Carlos with a Dwarf (detail)
1631
Oil on canvas
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

850*1111
True Color
168 Kb



Sibyl
c. 1632
Oil on canvas, 62 x 50 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid

618*780
True Color
124 Kb



Christ on the Cross
1632
Oil on canvas, 248 x 169 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid

588*900
True Color
82 Kb



Portrait of a Lady
1633
Oil on canvas, 123 x 99 cm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

1068*1300
True Color
148 Kb



The Jester Known as Don Juan de Austria
1632-35
Oil on canvas, 210 x 123 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid

544*941
True Color
119 Kb



Cardinal Infante Don Fernando as a Hunter
1632-33
Oil on canvas, 192 x 108 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid

700*1278
True Color
108 Kb



King Philip IV as a Huntsman
1634-35
Oil on canvas, 191 x 126 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid

590*923
True Color
85 Kb



Prince Baltasar Carlos as a Hunter
1635-36
Oil on canvas, 191 x 103 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid

482*900
True Color
116 Kb



Prince Baltasar Carlos as Hunter (detail)
1635-36
Oil on canvas
Museo del Prado, Madrid

900*965
True Color
105 Kb



St Anthony Abbot and St Paul the Hermit
c. 1635
Oil on canvas, 260 x 192 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid

850*1172
True Color
191 Kb



St Anthony Abbot and St Paul the Hermit (detail)
c. 1635
Oil on canvas
Museo del Prado, Madrid

820*886
True Color
105 Kb



Juan Martinez Montañés
c. 1635
Oil on canvas, 109 x 88 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid

1100*1385
True Color
112 Kb



Juan Mateos
c. 1634
Oil on 109 x 90 cm
Gemäldegalerie, Dresden

1030*1250
True Color
119 Kb



Portrait of a Knight of the Order of Santiago
c. 1635
Oil on canvas, 67 x 56 cm
Gemäldegalerie, Dresden

1037*1253
True Color
84 Kb




Summary of paintings by Velázquez
until 1620 | 1621-1630 | 1631-1635
Surrender of Breda | Equestrian portraits
Las Meninas | Las Hilanderas
1636-1640 | 1641-1650 | 1651-1660