Spain / c. 1631–32
Portrait of the Jester Calabazas
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Portrait of the Jester Calabazas as painting (Spain · c. 1631–32).
Calabazas holds a wind-driven pinwheel and a miniature portrait of a woman, together suggesting the inconstancy of love.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on canvas and credits Diego Velázquez (Spanish, 1599–1660).
The museum's collection notes: Calabazas, a jester in the court of King Philip IV of Spain, had physical and mental disabilities, a state that the artist emphasizes, rather than tries to hide. While the Spanish court prized and doted upon people with disabilities such as Calabazas, Velázquez transformed their depiction in portraiture. This startling work uses the format of the formal, full-length court portrait to present a type of person who was generally perceived as marginal at this point in history and profoundly humanizes him.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtPortrait of the Jester CalabazasOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.