Juan de Pareja  1650

Velázquez painted some of his most vibrant and animated portraits while in Italy from 1649 to 1650. This one was most likely executed in Rome during the early months of 1650 and was first exhibited in March of that year. The subject, Juan de Pareja, was the artist's enslaved assistant. In this landmark of Western portraiture, Velázquez developed an astonishing unity betwee...