Equestrian Portrait of The Count-Duke of Olivares

The Equestrian Portrait of Count-Duke of Olivares is a painting by Spanish artist Diego Velázquez, finished in 1634. It is housed in the Museo del Prado, Madrid.

The subject of the picture is Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares, Prime Minister of Spain during the reign of Philip IV. He is portrayed riding a horse, an honour generally reserved for monarchs at the time. He wears a plumed headgear and a gilt cuirass, and holds a command baton. The composition refers to Olivares' military leadership in the service of King Philip.

Famous quotes containing the word portrait:

    Long before Einstein told us that matter is energy, Machiavelli and Hobbes and other modern political philosophers defined man as a lump of matter whose most politically relevant attribute is a form of energy called “self-interestedness.” This was not a portrait of man “warts and all.” It was all wart.
    George F. Will (b. 1941)