The infanta Maria Theresa aged 14

The Infanta Maria Theresa, at the Louvre, was painted around 1653 when the princess was fourteen. She would later marry Louis XIV of France, becoming Queen of France and grandmother of the future Philip V of Spain — a dynastic connection that eventually placed a Bourbon on the Spanish throne. Velázquez's uncompromising naturalism and psychological penetration, combined with his revolutionary loose handling of paint in his late work, made him one of the most admired painters in history, his technique anticipating Impressionism and influencing Manet, Sargent, and countless others.

The infanta's elaborate coiffure and stiff court dress are rendered with the silvery, luminous technique of Velazquez's late manner. The face, framed by the enormous hairstyle and wide collar, is painted with gentle naturalism that captures the girl's youth beneath the formality.