This painting was made for the Torre de la Parada, a hunting lodge in El Pardo renovated between 1635 and 1638. The King wears a dark brown tabard under which a richer cloak is visible. His clothing is completed with a cap of the same color, a collar of Flanders lace, and amber colored suede gloves. The monarch is accompanied by a splendid Spanish mastiff, which Velasquez gives considerable importance

As an esthetic and compositional resource, Velasquez placed a tree behind the King in order to emphasize his face. Various pentimenti are visible, including the position of his left hand and leg, and the end of the arquebus's barrel.

Hunting was considered a very appropriate activity for the education of monarchs and noblemen as it strengthened the body and helped to develop a series of virtues necessary for the proper exercise of power, including patience, cleverness and prudence.

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