Portrait of Maria Anna of Spain, Queen of Hungary (1606-1646)

Velázquez painted this Portrait of Maria Anna of Spain, Queen of Hungary around 1630, depicting Philip IV's sister who had recently married the future Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III. The portrait served the political function of establishing Maria Anna's identity and dignity in her new court while demonstrating the Spanish monarchy's possession of the finest court painter in Europe. Velázquez's treatment is formal and imposing — the queen in the elaborate Spanish court dress of the period, the face young but already possessed of the Habsburg gravity that characterized the royal family's portraiture across generations. The painting was intended for the Vienna court, making it a diplomatic as well as artistic object of the highest significance.

The stiff formality of the pose and costume is relieved by Velázquez's sensitive treatment of the young woman's face and the virtuoso rendering of her embroidered bodice and jeweled ornaments.