The apogee of a King and the triumph of a painter : Velázquez
His first mission was to set down the features of the new heir, Baltasar Carlos, born at the end of 1629. The monarchy was in its heyday. This optimism convinced Philip IV and his minister to undertake a great monumental project, i.e. the construction of a new residence on the outskirts of Madrid – the Buen Retiro Palace. It was constructed rapidly and the spirit of the place lay just as much in the buildings as in the ornamental gardens surrounding them.
Velázquez played a central role in the project with Las Lanzas (The Surrender of Breda) and the equestrian portraits painted for the Salon de Reinos, the high point of the interior, or with Saint Anthony the Abbot and Saint Paul, the First Hermit painted for the Hermitage of San Pablo in the gardens.