On-line gallery
- Reference number
- P01203
- Author
- Velázquez, Diego Rodríguez de Silva y (Spanish)
- Title
- Portrait of a Buffoon with a Dog
- Chronology
- Ca. 1650
- Technique
- Support
- Measures
- 142 cm x 107 cm
- School
- Theme
- Shown
- Yes
- Entrance
- COLECCION REAL
- Procedence
- Royal collection
Outfitted with rich clothing and a
sword that give him a certain air
of nobility, the subject is shown
holding a mastiff with his left
hand and a hat in his right.
Several identities have been
proposed for this sitter. For a
long time he was though to be
Antonio el Inglés, a palace buffoon
who died in 1617 and whose name was
assigned to this painting. Nowadays
this identity has been discarded,
as the style of his clothing dates
from the sixteen-sixties.
While it was long attributed to
Velasquez, this work's pictorial
technique is more summary and
careless than was customary for
this painter from Seville. In any
case, it is a magnificent example
of Velasquez's impact on Spanish
court portraiture during that
period. It has also been attributed
to Juan Carreño de Miranda,
depending on whom it is thought to
portray, when it might have been
painted, and its technique.
This work is mentioned as being in
the Royal Palace in the eighteenth
century.
Location on the map
