Las Meninas (;
Spanish for
The Maids of Honour) is a 1656 painting by
Diego Velázquez, the leading artist of the
Spanish Golden Age, in the
Museo del Prado in
Madrid. The work's complex and enigmatic composition raises questions about reality and illusion, and creates an uncertain relationship between the viewer and the figures depicted. Because of these complexities,
Las Meninas has been one of the most widely analyzed works in
Western painting.