Philip IV in old age

By the early 1650s Philip IV had reigned over Spain for more than 30 years, and the country he ruled was sliding, losing wars, money and territory. He was tired of it, and he was tired of being painted. He is said to have disliked seeing himself grow old and for years refused to sit. This head, made around 1653, is what Velazquez finally got, and it became the official face of the king for the rest of his life. There is almost nothing in it but the man: a plain dark ground, no crown, no armour, no props, just the pale face lifted out of the shadow with that heavy Habsburg jaw and those weary eyes. Two years later a printmaker copied it for the frontispiece of a royal decree, and versions of this worn face spread across the kingdom.