File talk:Las Meninas 01.jpg

Accepting that this painting is considered to be a masterpiece, I wish to make some comments which many viewers with understanding of this piece may consider inadequate. Firstly I would like to comment on the accepted inclusion of 2 dwarves in the painting. I see that Sr. Velazquez clearly liked to include dwarves in his paintings. I believe that the German Maria in Las Meninas (formerly La Familia) is likely to be a Hapsberg herself given her facial physiognomy. I understand that the figure to her right is supposed to be an Italian male dwarf, but I honestly don't appreciate that this is also a dwarf. Secondly, I would like to comment on the use of mirrors in the painting. Clearly, there is an image of Philip IV and his wife in the mirror at the centre of the artwork. At the same time, either the artist is painting another work including Philip IV in the scene which is much larger than the work at its centre, or he is not in the process of painting Philip IV and his wife. What I feel is more likely is that Sr. Velazquez is peering into a mirror himself in order to paint the faces of the figures in the painting. In particular, the daughter of Philip IV appears, by the rotation of her neck, to be looking at her own image in a mirror. The female dwarf, Maria, also appears to be gazing at her own image. Sr. Velazquez has cleverly turned this painting around so that the mirrored reference to the mother and father of the central subject, Margarita, is in fact the reference to the mirror itself, which is in fact the painting as viewed by us. Of interest also is that Margarita appears to be wearing the same dress in a portrait of herself (1635-6) done in the same year as Las Meninas. The former painting appears to provide more details of the dress that can be seen in Las Meninas. For those who would like to further restore Las Meninas, this painting could provide some benefit. I wonder whether the use of the same dress in a different portrait says something of the parents, who could be considered to be somewhat tightfisted based on the appearance of the same dress in 2 different portraits of their daughter. Thank you for your interest, Bogieboo