Details

Name

Diego Velasquez

Brief Biography

1599–1660, Spanish

Occupation

Painter

Description

Velasquez was chief of the Spanish School, son of Juan Rodriguez and Geronima Velazquez, whose family name he bore. He was a pupil of Francisco Herrera, the elder, and later studied under Francisco Pacheco. In 1623 he was appointed court painter by Philip IV. Towards the close of 1648 he was sent by Philip IV to purchase works of art, and it was on this occasion that he painted his great portrait of Pope Innocent X, now in the Doria Gallery, Rome. On his return he was decorated with the Cross of St Iago and created Aposentador Mayor, an office the duties of which included the superintendence of the lodging of the King during his absences from Madrid. He painted portraits, landscapes, hunting scenes, and mythological pieces, and was the most modern in his methods of all the great masters. His most important pictures are in the Prado Museum, Madrid.