Le prince Baltasar Carlos en argent

He is about three years old, and the entire future of the Spanish monarchy rested on him. Baltasar Carlos was the only surviving son of Philip IV, the long-awaited male heir, and here Velazquez, the king's court painter, has buttoned him into stiff adult finery heavy with silver embroidery, a commander's baton in his small hand. The formality sits almost comically against the soft, serious toddler's face, which is exactly the balance Velazquez catches so well. The hopes pinned on the boy came to nothing. He died in 1646 at the age of 16, before he could inherit, leaving Spain once again without a clear heir.