Head of a Girl

Even in Seville, where he was accepted into the painters’ guild of St Luke before he was eighteen and then, in 1620, opened a workshop and employed apprentices himself, Vel�zquez was already embarking on portraiture, a path that would lead him to a place among the major portraitists in the history of art. There are around half a dozen portraits extant of very different people from Vel�zquez’ early period in Seville, including two sensitive drawings vibrant with life, both showing a young girl and dated to 1618. Since very few of the artist’s authentic drawings have survived, these two are particularly worthy of notice.