Exhibitions from the past

Velázquez at the Gallery

Tentoonstellingen Velasquez In De Galerij

1 October - 29 November 2015

An exceptional masterpiece will once again be on display in the Prince William V Gallery. Following presentations of Caravaggio and Titian, the renowned Spanish painter, Diego Velázquez will be featured this year. The painting, Portrait of Don Diego de Acedo, is a loan from the Prado in Madrid.

Court painter

Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (1599-1660) was the most famous Spanish painter of the seventeenth century. Not only was he a contemporary of Rembrandt, but he also had a comparably virtuoso painting style. As court painter to Spanish king Philip IV, he produced a great number of portraits. His series of portraits of little people and court jesters is extraordinary, and this portrait of Diego de Acedo is perhaps the most beautiful one of the group.

Office job

Little people at royal courts were usually jesters, and were especially popular at the Spanish court. But not Diego de Acedo: he had an administrative role at the 'Estampa', the office where the royal documents were provided with an official seal.

 

 

The Portrait of Don Diego de Acedo

Diego de Acedo is sitting outside on a rock. He is wearing formal black clothing - with an interwoven diamond pattern - and a hat obliquely on his head. The books and the inkstand in the painting probably refer to his activities at the Spanish Court. Around the figure, there are visible traces of modifications to the contours - an X-ray photo shows that Acedo's hat was a later addition by the painter.

Tentoonstellingen Velasquez In De Galerij