María Teresa (1638–1683), Infanta of Spain

A royal portrait like this had a job to do. It travelled. The daughter of Philip IV of Spain, Maria Teresa was one of the most eligible princesses in Europe, and courts abroad knew her face mainly from paintings like this one, sent out on her behalf. Velazquez painted her in the elaborate court wig threaded with butterfly ribbons that was the height of Madrid fashion, then let his assistants copy the likeness again and again to keep up with demand. In 1660 the diplomacy paid off. She married her first cousin Louis XIV and became queen of France, a match meant to seal peace between the two crowns after years of war.