Juan Carreño de Miranda

Juan Carreño de Miranda (1614-1685) was born to noble parentage in Asturias, northern Spain. His family moved to Madrid in 1623. There, Carreño studied painting and developed a friendship with Diego Velázquez, who secured him access to the Spanish royal collection where he studied masters like Van Dyck, Titian and Rubens. It was this fusion of influences, as well as close attention to local Spanish traditions, that led Carreño to his own highly original style of painting. His work is characterised by dynamic brushwork, soft contours, and rich colouring. Carreño was appointed painter to King Charles II in 1669 and court painter in 1671. Today, he is widely recognised as the most important Spanish court painter of the Baroque period after Velázquez.