"Las Meninas" or "The Maids of Honor" is an illustrious painting, the native of Seville, Spain, Diego Velazquez created in 1656, as a court painter of King Philip IV.
In this oil on canvass work, the artist, who was quite close to the King of Spain, makes his presence felt amongst the royal family, in the Alcazar.
Diego Velazquez was one of the front runners of the Spanish Golden Age and was well recognized for his competence.
At the time of painting this masterpiece, the artist's association with the royal family had touched thirty-three years.
"Las Meninas" captures a family moment in the royal home in Madrid, where the King and his Queen are watching their five-year-old princess daughter Infanta Margarita.
The room this painting was set in was Velazquez's studio, in the King Philip's Alcazar Palace, Madrid.
The royal couple wanted Margarita to be the heir of the throne in the years to come.
The maids of honor (Dona Isabel de Velasco and Dona Maria Agustina Sarmiento de Sotomayor) keep the little girl entertained and occupied, while the painter presents his natural self in painting the scene of the royal family affection.
The royal couple is visible only as a faint reflection in the mirror, hanging on the wall, far behind Diego's figure.
The Dwarfs, the bodyguard next to the governess, and the artist himself are brushed as looking straight out of the painting.
This seems like a gesture acknowledging the presence of the King and his Queen standing there.
"Las Meninas" or "The Maids of Honor" reflects a lightly atmosphere in the castle.
The chaperone (Dona Marcela de Ulloa), wearing a mourning dress, is whispering to the bodyguard.
The dwarfs (Mari-Bárbola and Nicolasico Pertusato) are maintained around centrally positioned Margarita to keep an entertaining company, along with a serenely sleeping Spanish Mastiff dog.
The kneeling maid (Dona Maria Agustina Sarmiento) on the left of the princess is offering her a drink in a red cup presented in a golden tray.
The Queen's palace sentinel (Don Jose Nieto Velazquez) on the entrance's small staircase, also has his attention drawn.
With his feet on different steps, Don's right knee is bent and he is holding back a curtain.
The open door behind him and the lightening in the space there, reflect the studio's further connectivity to the palace.
The painting looks like a camera clicked photograph, owing to its intense perfection and a meticulously conveyed background.
All the paintings on the background wall have been covered with brilliant visual precision.
"Las Meninas" has been a debatable masterpiece among observers, owing to its multiple connotations.
A few find it a medium for Velasquez's self-admiration and for propagating his influence and relation with the King.
Precisely, he probably wanted to show his importance and closeness with the royal family.
Most others found that Infanta Margarita was the central noble thought.
The Red Cross on the Velazquez's robe is supposed to have been added later by the King when Velazquez was conferred with the title of knighthood.
"Las Meninas" is an unconventional family portrait in the Western Art history, covering eleven people, including the reflection of the royal couple.
Measuring 318 cm × 276 cm, "Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor)" is displayed at the museum, Museo dal Prado in Madrid.