Curator’s inspection
Move across the painting — or drag on touch — to study brushwork and craquelure through the curator’s loupe.
Las Meninas
A princess, her attendants, a painter and a reflected royal couple occupy one of painting’s most ingenious spaces.
Velázquez shows himself at work in the Alcázar palace while King Philip IV and Queen Mariana appear in the mirror at the back of the room.
The painting turns spectators into participants: the royal couple may occupy our position, while the unseen canvas confronts us with the mystery of looking itself.
Its calibrated light, open brushwork and layered realities made it a touchstone for artists from Goya to Picasso.
Source: Wikimedia Commons. Public domain work; reproduction licence as listed at source.