Diego Velazquez painted by Las Meninas in 1656

 

To the modern eye Las Meninas may not look like that extraordinary yet at the time it was one of the most revolutionary pieces of art of it’s day.

Diego Velazquez painted Las Meninas in 1656 and it was a major departure from more traditional royal portraiture.

The portraits of the day would previously only have featured members of the royal family and in such works there was considerably more structure and the hierarchy as to placement of each of the members.

At the time Velazquez held the position of palace chamberlain in the Spanish royal court, a position which would allow him considerable leeway in comparison to other artists of the day.