Portrait of the court jester "El Primo" - Diego Velazquez. 107x82
Diego Velazquez is one of the greatest representatives of the Spanish Golden Age. They managed to convey the psychologism of their models and at the same time avoid flattery even to the most powerful figures.
Throughout the 1630-1640s, Velazquez created a series of portraits of dwarfs and jesters. Through a comic mask, the painter saw the complex spiritual world of these people, deprived of nature. Having depicted mockery without a shadow, with simplicity and tact, he revealed their characters, state of mind, the world of emotions, reaching to mournful tragedy.
A high clean forehead, clever eyes fascinate and make you look into the jester's extraordinary face. Only then attention switches to his puny figure. Don Diego de Assedo occupied a special position in the retinue of Philip IV and, according to tradition, performed several more posts - he was a courier and keeper of the royal seal. His responsibility for the royal signature stamp explains the presence of the folio he is holding and the writing materials on the floor. The nickname "El Primo" means "cousin." Perhaps the dwarf is a relative of Velazquez, or perhaps this name appeared due to the privilege of the jester not to take off his hat in the presence of the king, which was allowed only to representatives of the highest aristocracy, their king called "cousins."
Of particular value gives the portrait its incompleteness: the unfinished background allows you to perfectly see the direction of the master’s brush.
