Spanish school of the XIX century. Follower of DIEGO RODRIGUEZ DE SILVA Y VELÁZQUEZ.

Spanish school of the XIX century. Follower of DIEGO RODRIGUEZ DE SILVA Y VELÁZQUEZ (Seville, 1599 - Madrid, 1660).
"The Jester.
Oil on canvas.
With patches on the back.
Measurements: 42 x 32.50 cm., 50 x 39 cm.
The work belongs to a series of portraits that Velázquez made, with the intention of decorating the secondary or transitional rooms of the palace (corridors, stairs, etc.). This set of portraits has generated great interest throughout the history of art, and therefore has been widely debated, providing theories such as that these works were made by Velázquez, with the intention of dignifying their protagonists, and to make a criticism of the society of the time.
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (1599 -1660) was the main artist of the court of King Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He began painting in a precise tenebrist style, later developing a freer form characterized by bold brushwork. In addition to numerous interpretations of scenes of historical and cultural importance, he painted dozens of portraits of the Spanish royal family and commoners, culminating in his masterpiece Las Meninas (1656). Velázquez's work became a model for 19th century realist and impressionist painters. In the 20th century, artists such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Francis Bacon paid homage to Velázquez by reinterpreting some of his most iconic images.