Portrait of Don Diego de Corral y Arellano

Portrait of Diego del Corral y Arellano (1570-1632), who was a hearer of the Castilla Council, Knight of the Order of Santiago and Professor at the University of Salamanca. He wears a black robe, a detail that, together with the papers, alludes to his office in Justice, shows the cross of Santiago embroidered on his chest, symbol of his noble origin, and is accompanied by a hat, which speaks of Don Diego's right to cover himself as a characteristic of their high social rank. Each detail of the composition, far from being anecdotal, has been carefully chosen by Velázquez, in order to socially characterize his model. The technique used by the painter, which combines the proximity of the character with a background and a neutral floor and a slight halo around the character's head, places this work within the style of Velázquez from the early 1930s. The painting is paired with the portrait of his wife Doña Antonia de Ipeñarrieta y Galdós, and their son Don Luis.