Portrait of the Infanta Margarita (1651-1673), after 1656

About the Work

Looks familiar? This copy of the portrait of the five-year-old Spanish infanta was thought to be an original by Velázquez when acquired. This explains the prominent position it was given in the 19th-century hang of the collection documented by the research project “Time Machine: The Städel Museum in the Nineteenth Century”. The majestic portrait of the young princess was presented alongside similarly revered masterpieces such as Botticelli’s Simonetta and Fra Angelico’s Madonna. Today, however, the difference in quality between the copy and Velázquez’s original in Vienna is clearly noticeable.