Las Meninas: What secret lies in Diego Velázquez’s 1656 masterpiece?

The painting shows Infanta Margarita with maids, dwarfs, and a dog. Velázquez stands left, brush in hand—on his chest, the red cross of the Order of Santiago. But he wasn’t knighted until 1659, three years later. So why is the cross already there?

Some believe King Philip IV added it posthumously as a tribute. Others say a court painter repainted it—or that Velázquez updated it himself before dying. The romantic version—royal homage after death—endures.

Las Meninas means “maids of honor,” “attendants,” or “young noblewomen.”

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