Paintings between 1631 and 1635

When Velázquez was appointed court painter in Madrid, his principal task was to paint portraits of Philip IV, a duty that he performed to perfection. The portraits of the Spanish Habsburgs painted in profusion by Velázquez are among the finest and best examples of court portraiture in the history of European art. Velázquez's earliest contribution to the decoration of the Buen Retiro is the luminous St Anthony Abbot and St Paul the Hermit, his first picture with an extensive landscape background.

Philip IV was a bold and enthusiastic huntsman. It was the task of Velázquez to execute a series of hunting portraits to hang in the Torre de la Parada, the king's hunting lodge. The three extant hunting portraits by Velázquez, Philip IV as a Huntsman, Prince Baltasar Carlos as a Hunter, and Cardinal Infante Don Fernando as a Hunter, are life-size. This project cost Velázquez a great deal of time and trouble, but it also won him increasing appreciation at court.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 9 minutes):
Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in B flat major RV 362 op. 8 No. 10 (Hunt)