Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velazquez, probably the greatest painter of the seventeenth century, is an artist who continues to fascinate audiences all over the world. A major figure in European art, he was born in Seville in 1599, possibly to a noble family, and was trained by Francisco Pacheco, whose daughter he married in 1618. After leaving the studio of his father-in-law for Madrid and the court of Philip IV, Velazquez's technique began to evolve from works such as the tightly painted Don Luis de Gongora y Argote (Museum of Fine Art, Boston) to more loosely developed mature masterpieces such as The Rokeby Venus in the National Gallery, London. This beautiful book introduces Velazquez and his mileu, and traces the artist's development from the earliest Sevillian bodegones to his late mythological pictures, and the great series of royal portraits. It also addresses the impact of Italian art on his painting. Leah Kharibian provides an accessible background to Velazquez discussing fifteen carefully selected masterpieces by the artist (show with lavish details), and including a chronology.