Detail of Infanta Maria Theresa by the Studio of Velazquez in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, June 2010

Infanta Maria Theresa
1653
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, Spanish, 1599–1660

Dimensions: 128.6 x 100.6 cm (50 5/8 x 39 5/8 in.)

Medium or Technique: Oil on canvas

Classification: Paintings
Type: Portrait - Single - Child

Accession Number: 21.2593

This painting is probably one of three portraits sent to potential suitors of Maria Theresa, the daughter of Spain's King Philip IV and ultimately the wife of Louis XIV of France. In portraying the royal family, Velázquez generally painted a bust-length portrait from life, which he and his assistants would use as a model in creating full-length versions. The freshness of the colors and brushwork in this painting stress the desirability of the fifteen-year-old princess, and suggest that Velázquez was closely associated with its production.

Text from: www.mfa.org/collections/object/infanta-maria-theresa-31928