Portrait of Infanta Margarita daughter of Philip IV
The central place in the work of the famous Spanish painter Diego Velasquez belongs to the portrait genre. As a court painter to the Spanish monarch, he often painted members of the royal family and their entourage. Velazquez created a whole gallery of portraits of the Infanta Margarita, the future Empress of the Holy Roman Empire.
On this canvas, the young infanta is only four years old. In accordance with the tradition of a ceremonial official portrait, the master must portray her as a coldly reserved person, aware of her high position and accustomed to behave in accordance with strict court etiquette.
With the static pose of a girl, so uncharacteristic of a child, given, as prescribed by the genre, to the face of a strict expression, Velazquez’s painting is striking in the author’s warm sincere attitude towards his little model. The sweet swelling of children’s cheeks, the delicate oval of the face, fluffy flowing hair, running in soft waves over the shoulders – this is how the painter saw the heir to the Spanish throne. Margarita Teresa of Spain, having become Empress of the Holy Roman Empire at the age of 14, lived a short life. After giving birth to six children, she died at the age of 21.