after: ʻGIRL WITH SHUTTLECOCKʼ, Jean Baptiste Chardin - 1763, Louvre, Paris, France. Jean Baptiste Chardin (1699-1779) is famous for his still lives, portraits and interiors. His portraits of children are highly acclaimed. He had strong affinities with the Dutch Baroque painters. There is an echo of the silence of Vermeerʼs paintings in his work. The girl seems to be blissfully unaware of the presence of the painter or spectator.
after: ʻINFANTA MARGHERITA IN A BLUE DRESSʼ, Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez - 1659, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria. Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez (1599-1660) was the painter of the Royal Habsburg family. This is one of the forty portraits Philip IV commissioned him to paint of the family. She is painted in an elaborate baroque dress. This gave Velázquez the chance to show his painting skills; it covers almost half of the image. The portrait of the princess was made so that her future husband and uncle could see how she looked.