Major Works

Velasquez went to Madrid in 1622 with letters of introduction from Pacheco to Don Juan de Fonseca who at the time was the king’s chaplain. During the same year, the then king’s favorite court painter Rodrigo de Villarando died which was conveyed to Velasquez by Don Juan. He was told to come to the court of Count-Duke of Olivarez who was a powerful minister of the King Philip IV and was offered 50 Ducats to defray his expenses. He was accompanied by his father-in-law, Pacheco and were lodged by Fonseca in his home and had a portrait done by the young Velasquez. The portrait was very much appreciated and loved by his host that it was sent to the Royal court for presentation to the king. The king then presented Velasquez with a commission to paint a portrait of the said monarch on August 16, 1623 when the two sat down for the said portrait which was completed in a day and is surmised to be just a mere head sketch. The king and Olivares were pleased with his work that he was commanded to move to the capital, Madrid on the word of the king that no other painter would be allowed to paint the King and all works of previous painters would be recalled and changed with his work. He was given 300 Ducats from the king as payment for the expenses he incurred and moved to Madrid which is to become his home for the rest of his life.

With his production of an equestrian portrait of the King in 1623, he ensured admission into the royal court and was deemed to receive a 20 ducat monthly salary as compensation for his services. That combined with many other benefits made the painter financially secure enough to give his family a decent life. He was made to work on many a paintings for royalty and other prominent figures which was tainted only with the painters dream to go to Italy to be able to view and admire the works of the many Italian Masters who have been some of the most influential artists of all time. His dominance of the painting arena was further reinforced when he won a contest that the King of Spain held for the best painters in all of Spain with the expulsion of the Moors from Spanish territory as subject.

In 1629, the now very famous painter Velazquez went to Italy on a trip that was sponsored by King Philip IV. The trip was very sketchy though due to the habit of the painter of not dating and naming his works. There are also only scant details regarding any influence the painter may have gained from the painters of the art haven which is Italy. The fact that many artists also have different styles adopted with overlapping frequency tends to diffuse any perceivable changes he might have made to his work as a result of his seeing the works of the grand masters in Paris. Many of the details of these trips can be surmised from official records in the royal archives that tend to be very detailed indeed.