Interventions: The Mirrors of Las Meninas: Cochineal, Silver, and Clay.

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    • Subject Terms:
      VELAZQUEZ, Diego, 1599-1660. Maids of honor; MATERIAL culture in art; 17TH century portrait painting; BAROQUE painting; SPANISH art; COCHINEAL
    • Subject Terms:
      SPAIN; AMERICA
    • Abstract:
      The article discusses the painting "Las Meninas," by the artist Diego Velázquez. It focuses on some of the representations of material culture in the painting, which are analyzed in terms of the work's historical context. "Las Meninas," known as "Maids of Honor" in English, includes depictions of products derived from the resources of Spain's American colonies, most notably including curtains and a ceramic vessel that are dyed red with cochineal, and a silver tray. The implications of such items in the context of Spain's 17th-century empire are discussed in detail, and their depiction by Velázquez is compared to images of similar items by his contemporaries in Europe and the Americas.