Dressing Las Meninas

The inventive work of the artisans who dressed the court of Philip IV has always been visible in Diego Velázquez’s court portraits, yet the tailors, embroiderers, farthingale-makers, shoemakers, and their colleagues have long been forgotten, largely ignored by historians and art historians. None of the garments that they made have survived the centuries, and Velázquez—who enjoyed a monopoly over court portraiture—is an unreliable narrator when it comes to fashion. In this lecture, I use extensive archival documentation to reconstruct the life and work of a court tailor named Mateo Aguado who dressed the Infanta Margarita (best known as the central character in Las Meninas) and many of Velázquez’s other well-known sitters in a career that spanned over forty years. While making the case for recognizing a previously anonymous artisan as a significant creative force, this talk also offers new insights into Velázquez’s approach to the fashions that feature so prominently in his most iconic paintings.

Please note in-person attendance is limited to PU ID holders only. Members of the public are welcome to register for Zoom attendance.