Workshop of Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez

(Seville 1599–1660 Madrid)
Portrait of King Philip IV of Spain, bust length, in armour,
oil on canvas, 51 x 40.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
sale, Phillips, London, 15 December 1998, lot 174 (as studio of Diego Velázquez);
Private European collection

The present painting relates to the bust-length portrait by Velázquez of King Philip IV in the Meadows Museum, Dallas (inv. no. MM.67.23.) which has been dated to 1623–24. However, in the present portrait the king is depicted wearing armour. It would appear, therefore, that the present work pre-dates the first extant image of Philip IV in armour by Velázquez, which is the bust-length portrait in the Prado Museum, Madrid (inv. no. P001183) in which he is depicted wearing gilded armour and a red sash, which is usually dated to circa 1628 (see J. López-Rey/O. Delenda, Velázquez. The complete works, 2014, p. 88 and p. 93).