Les Petit Cavaliers, after Vélazquez
Édouard Manet; Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo
Description
Subject Matter:
Manet's work of the 1860s shows a persistent preoccupation with Spanish themes. He based this etching on his own oil copy of a painting in the Louvre attributed at the time to the Spanish painter Diego Velásquez (1599-1660). The painting had been acquired somewhat recently (in 1851) and became an important icon of Spanish art. By the time Manet painted his copy, France had a Spanish Empress (Empress Eugénie), and a fashion for all things Spanish was in full force.
Physical Description:
The image depicts thirteen men, arranged in three groups and facing in various directions, all standing in a generic outdoor setting. They wear seventeenth century-style costume consisting predominantly of black coats and trousers with white square collars. Several wear black hats, and one waves his hat in the air. The majority either carry or lean on swords.
Usage Rights:
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