Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, famous painter of the 17th century, was born in Seville in 1599 (Brown 1). He was the eldest of seven children and the son of Silva and Jerónima Velazquez (Brown 1). Both of his parents claimed to be descendants of minor nobility, a claim from which Velázquez would later benefit (Brown 1). In his time, painting was considered a craft, that is, work done with the hands rather than the mind, meaning it was unbecoming of a nobleman (Carr 26). Velázquez was sent as an apprentice to Franciso Pacheco, a well-known painter in Seville (Carr 26). Under Pacheco's teachings, Velázquez began using everyday life as subject matter, which at the time was something new; he painted tavern and kitchen scenes (Carr 27). Eventually, Velázquez even married Pacheco's daughter, Juana Pacheco (Carr 14). While studying under Pacheco, he was able to meet the Count-Duke of Olivares, who encouraged him to travel to Madrid, where artists would paint for the king (Carr 29). An opportunity presented itself when one of King Philip IV's painters died and Velázquez was summoned to represent the king (Carr 29). Velázquez ended up being appointed court painter, later becoming one of the king's principal artists. Velázquez spent most of his life as a courtier and painter to King Philip IV. Velázquez was considered one of the most unique painters of the Spanish Baroque era. The phrase "Truth, not reality" is often used to describe his paintings, as Velázquez's paintings generally display a vital sense of the essential qualities of people and things that appear to exist (Carr 26). Most of the subjects of his paintings were the Spanish royal family, but Velázquez sometimes painted historical scenes and paintings with...... middle of paper ...... it is seen that the paintings are right-handed and the paintings on the walls are not. overturned. Palomino strongly suggests that the mirror reflects the large canvas on which Velázquez is working (Harris 174). Mirrors are a natural symbol of the function of art to reflect reality (Carr). The only other painting in which Velázquez is known to use a mirror is Venus, where it is used as an aid (Harris 174). However, the use of the mirror is used differently, it is only used to create depth for Venus (Harris 174). Las Meninas was not the first painting to “draw the eye inward and bring the viewer in” (Harris 174). Jan van Eyck's Wedding Portrait of the Arnolfni, where the mirror reflects the married couple in front and another person assumed to be the artist, exhibits these characteristics (Harris 174). It is believed that Van Eyck's painting gave Velázquez this complex idea.