Portrait of Sebastián de Morra

Sebastián de Morra was acquired by King Phillip IV in 1643 from his younger brother Cardinal Infante Fernando.[2] He was then given over to Prince Baltasar Carlos until the prince's death sometime after.[6] De Morra's job was to keep the prince entertained with humor.[3] Following the death of Prince Carlos, De Morra died in October 1649 after 3 years of service to the court.[3] An analysis of the canvases on which portraits of De Morra and Phillip IV were painted, conducted by the Thread Count Automation Project, lead to the conclusion that they were both painted from the same piece of cloth.[5] This conclusion revealed that De Morra's portrait was painted in Fraga, along with Philip's portrait.[5]

Known as sabandijas, 'little serpents', court jester dwarfs were employed by kings as far back as the medieval period.[7] Being either born with a deformity or deformed on purpose at the time of birth, court jesters became slaves to the royal court and family.[8] Because they were seen as entertainment, dwarfs were no longer painted as symbolic figures and instead with a realistic style.[9] Since dwarfs were so prominent in court life, they were also included in paintings with multiple figures[9] Previous Spanish court painters before Velázquez painted dwarfs with coldness carelessness, since dwarfs were seen as human pets.[10] Dwarfs were also painted with extreme stiffness and disdain for them was also visible in their portraits.[11] Court dwarfs were portrayed in paintings as the property of their masters, being summoned back and forth at their master's request.[12] Typically, dwarfs were painted as being obedient and as under the ownership of their masters by placing their hands on the dwarf's head.[13] Dwarfs were seen as only one class higher than animals status-wise.[13] Dwarfs were often painted holding an animal of some kind when with their masters.[13] However, dwarfs with artistic or literature abilities were spared from having to train and play with animals.[13] Art historian Enriqueta Harris stated that Velázquez's paintings of dwarfs did not belong in the same space as classical paintings that he had done as well.[3] However, Catherine Closet-Crane, author of a critical essay about Velázquez's dwarf portraits, states that the portraits were in fact meant to be seen with other Velázquez portraits.[3] She even discusses that the portraits could also be seen alongside some of Ruben's portraits, such as of philosophers Democritus and Heraclitus.[3] Dwarfs were commonly painted from the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries, but their prominence in art declined afterwards.[14]

Diego Velázquez was born on 1599 in Seville, Spain where he carried out his painting career until he eventually moved to Madrid at age 24.[15] Diego Velázquez's naturalistic style was one of Spain's first introduction to the Caravaggio style that was sweeping across Europe.[15] Velázquez was soon employed as the court painter to Philip IV of Spain in 1628 (age 29).[16] During his time as court painter, Velázquez's work focused mainly on paintings for royal apartments and the court.[16] Diego Velázquez's first piece for King Phillip IV was when he was hired to paint his portrait by the Count Duke of Olivares.[15] A court painter's job was to depict the royal family and the court in a positive light. Velázquez's painting so impressed King Phillip that he hired Velasquez as the chamber's painter, with administrative duties being among a few of the other jobs he also held in the palace.[15] Velázquez is known for having completed at least ten dwarf portraits.[17] These paintings are on display in the Prado in Madrid.[17]

Famous for capturing great detail in his realistic style paintings, Velázquez demonstrates these qualities in his portrait of Sebastián de Morra.[18] By painting Morra from a straight-on view, Velázquez managed to highlight Morra's obvious resentment of his physical nature and the disability itself.[19] De Morra is placed against a plain dark background with no objects in sight.[3] The structure of the painting was originally oval instead of a square, as evident in markings on the canvas.[20] Missing pieces in the corners are also evidence that the canvas was meant to be fit in an oval stretcher.[21] In 1734 a fire destroyed the Real Alcazar of Madrid where the portrait of De Morra was held.[21] This could have been the reason the canvas was cut irregularly, to save it from further fire damage.[21] The wall in the painting itself is believed to have been scorched by a fire of unknown origin.[20] The lack of a background leads to the conclusion that De Morra is alienated from the outside world and a normal social life.[3] De Morra's right side of his face is in shadow due to the tilted angle of his head and light source on the left.[20] The light source helps to ground the figure, for it would have appeared he was floating in space in an otherwise dark background.[3] The white collar and cuffs on De Morra's outfit are made out of expensive lace material, which cause the viewer to pay closer attention to his hands and face.[3] The red and gold trimmed cape around his figure help draw the viewers gaze from the cape towards his face.[3] The cape and collar around De Morra's head bare a similar appearance to the military coat worn by Philip IV. De Morra's hands are resting on his side, in which Velázquez did not include any finger appendages.[3]

Diego Velázquez's decency was one of his most well known characteristics, which was illustrated in his portraits of dwarfs and fools. Contrary to common Spanish criticism, Velázquez painted dwarfs because he felt there was beauty in painting truth, not simply to capture ugliness.[22] Instead of depicting dwarfs as simple deformed entertainers, Velázquez showed dwarfs with humanity that at times surpassed other men of the court.[3] Velazquez showed his sympathy for court jesters in his paintings/studies after being surrounded by dwarfs for years on while employed by the royal court.[7] Velázquez painted dwarfs with the same humanity that he did for the royal family in order to wanted to show that dwarfs were no less as human beings.[14] However, while Velázquez's naturalistic and charitable depictions of the invalids and dwarfs maintained by the court strongly suggests he, as court painter, felt some empathy with their situation, the painter's opinions are never specifically stated in any documented fashion.[23] As slaves to the royal court though, Velázquez took it upon himself to illustrate how court jesters felt and were seen as to the rest of the world.[24] Velázquez's closer than otherwise normal studies of court jesters are concluded as a result of his admiration of their jokes and humor.[25]