On-line gallery
- Reference number
- P01208
- Author
- Velázquez, Diego Rodríguez de Silva y (Spanish)
- Title
- Mars
- Chronology
- Ca. 1641
- Technique
- Support
- Measures
- 179 cm x 95 cm
- School
- Theme
- Shown
- Yes
- Entrance
- COLECCION REAL
- Procedence
- Royal collection
Velasquez painted the god of war
sitting with all his military
attributes: a flare in the right
hand, a morion on his head, and at
his feet, his armor, shield and
sword.
His melancholy air speaks of
fatigue and dejection, quite
different from his traditional
victorious and triumphal
appearance, making this one of the
finest examples of Velasquez's
metaphorical representations. It is
related to the images of the
philosophers, Aesop (P1206) and
Menippus (P1207), with which it
shared its destiny, and can be
understood as a critical and ironic
vision of Antiquity. It has also
been interpreted as a possible
allegory of Spain's political and
military decadence and the defeats
suffered by the famous Spanish
tercios (infantry regiments).
The composition has been linked to
works Velasquez saw during his
trips to Italy, such as the
classical sculpture of Ares
Ludovisi and especially Il
Pensieroso, which Michelangelo made
for the tomb of the Medici in
Florence. Titian's and Ruben's
influences are also visible,
especially in the combination of
colors and the rendering of the
flesh tones.
Possibly painted for the Torre de
la Parada, it remained there until
sometime before 1772, when it was
moved to the Royal Palace. Between
1816 and 1827 it was in the Royal
Academy of San Fernando.
Location on the map
