This colossal head may be that of a giant, a figure taken from classical mythology in which such characters are described as being rough and primitive beings, possessed of remarkable strength and terrifying to look at. The first reference to the canvas (1661) locates it on a staircase in the Buen Retiro palace in Madrid, probably the one known as the buffoons staircase as it was hung with Velázquez’s famous paintings on that subject, executed close to the date of this head.