Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (;
also and ; ; baptized on June 6, 1599 – August 6, 1660) was a
Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the
court of King
Philip IV and one of the most important painters of the
Spanish Golden Age. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary
Baroque period, important as a
portrait artist. In addition to numerous renditions of scenes of historical and cultural significance, he painted scores of portraits of the Spanish royal family, other notable European figures, and commoners, culminating in the production of his masterpiece
Las Meninas (1656).