Velázquez painted several portraits of court jesters and dwarves, and of physically or mentally disabled people. He always portrayed them with great dignity. The originality of this picture lies in the fact that it contains nothing that enables us to place the figure in a context. Only the shadow of his legs provides any perspective. The picture was one of Manet’s favourites, and he tried to emulate it in his painting The Young Flautist, which hangs in the Museé D’Orsay in Paris.
(c) (R) 2013, MUSMon com S.L.
Text (a) Catalina Serrano Romero
English translation (a) Thisbe Burns
The MUSMon audiguide to visit the National Prado Museum reveals to you the secrets of great masters and works, such as Velázquez, Goya, Rubens, Titian, Ribera, etc. It explains the main artistic and historical elements and tells you anecdotes and curiosities about a representative selection of works and authors present in the Madrid museum.
Why is there a clothed and a nude maja? Was Vulcano a crippled god? Who is the person that is reflected in the mirror? Is Rubens painted in his work Adoration of the Magi? We give you the answers to these and many other questions. +info
