The daughter of Emperor Fernando III and María of Austria —Felipe IV's sister— was born in Neustad in 1634. She was supposed to marry her cousin, Prince baltasar Carlos. Two years after the latter died in 1646, she married her uncle, Felipe IV, despite the considerable age difference. As mother of the future Carlos II, she was a Reagent between 1664 and 1675, dying at the age of sixty-two.

Painted after Velázquez's second trip to Rome (1649-1651), this court portrait is characterized by a wise compositional conjunction that emphasizes elements symbolizing dignity and prudence as the qualities of majesty; and a loose and vibrant painting technique. It was enlarged with an added section in the upper part.