Velázquez's main duty at the court of Philip IV was to make portraits of the king and his family. His paintings of Philip himself accentuate the famous 'Hapsburg jaw', and while they flatter the king in some respects, slimming him down a little, they also capture his character with great truthfulness.

Later in life, Philip was to write that he avoided being painted because he was 'not inclined to submit myself to the phlegmatic temperament of Velázquez, and because I do not want to see myself growing old.'

As well as the king, Velázquez painted the rest of the family including Philip's heir, Baltasar Carlos, and other household members such as the persons of restricted growth who were employed as entertainers and companions to the royal children. Some were also mentally challenged, but they were always painted with Velázquez's characteristic respect and seriousness - never ridiculed or caricatured.

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