Details
MANNER OF DIEGO RODRÍGUEZ DE SILVA Y VELÁZQUEZ
Portrait of a Spanish infanta, probably Margarita Teresa (1651-1673), bust-length
oil on panel, unframed
1712 x 1378 in. (44.5 x 35.3 cm.)
Provenance
with Ehrich Galleries, New York, where acquired in August 1921 by,
Archer Milton Huntington (1870-1955), New York, for the Hispanic Society of America.
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Lot Essay

This painting has marked similarities to several portraits of Spanish infantas attributed to Diego Velázquez (1599-1660) or ascribed to his followers, including a depiction of the Infanta Margarita now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Pau (inv. no. D5237) and another portrait in the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, thought to depict Mariana of Austria (1634-1696; inv. no. 61.44.25). A portrait similar in composition to the present picture, though painted by a different hand, and apparently depicting Mariana, was sold 3 July 2025 at Duran, Madrid. The two infantas were in fact similar in appearance, and their likenesses are often confused, though the facial features and dress of the present sitter bear a slightly closer resemblance to those of Margarita, who was the daughter of Queen Mariana and Philip IV. In her hair, the princess wears an ornament featuring La Peregrina, the pearl worn by women of the Spanish royal family beginning in the reign of Philip II, until its removal to France by Joseph Bonaparte. The exceptionally large pearl was most recently sold in these rooms, forming the pendant of a Cartier necklace in the collection of Elizabeth Taylor (Christie's, New York, 13 December 2011, lot 12).

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Property from the Hispanic Society Museum to Benefit the Collection Care and Acquisition Fund
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