Portrait of Count-Duke Olivares by Diego de Silva Velázquez

Portrait of Count Duke Olivares by Diego de Silva Velázquez

Working at the court of Philip IV, Velasquez repeatedly wrote portraits of the king and his family members.

Not once posed for him and the chief minister of the court, in whose hands twenty-three years was almost unlimited power over Spain. Don Gasparo de Guzmán, Count Olivares, the Duke of San Luca de Barracudo is represented by Velazquez against the background of a greyish-olive background, his suit is emphatically modest – black clothes with a white collar. From this dark frame appears the fleshy face of Olivares, the mustache and beard only partially cover the shed cheeks and chin.

A heavy, massive nose hangs over the compressed lips, and black hair emphasizes a large convex forehead. Quite another impression is made by intelligent and penetrating eyes. They give out in a seemingly calm person a nature with a steel character.

The work was created in the 1630s, when Velasquez wrote modest breast portraits, giving them special attention to revealing the inner world of the portrayed. Yuri Thanks. I looked just on the topic of what interesting can be seen in the Hermitage.