Diego Velázquez, 'Portrait of Archbishop Fernando de Valdés', 1640-5

Fernando de Valdés has an imposing stare: he was clearly a man who commanded respect. His black cloak – an expanse of plain, dark and heavy fabric – makes him appear larger than he really is and a matching bishop’s hat, rigidly positioned on his head, shows his prestigious status within the Church. His clothing and the opulent red curtain trimmed with gold, like the chair on which he sits, suggest subtle grandeur.

In 1633 Valdés was appointed Archbishop of Granada and President of the Council of Castile, after which he became a prominent figure at the Spanish court of Philip IV. He was at the height of his career in the 1630s, having previously been appointed Bishop of Teruel (1625) and Bishop Elect of León (1632). Valdés’s noble expression conveys his power as a member of the Church and government. His grey beard and the dark circles under his eyes show his age – we see him in the later stages of his life and career.

During his seven years in Madrid, Valdés commissioned a full-length seated portrait from Velázquez (now lost); a copy of this painting survives in the Count of Toreno collection, Madrid. The bust-length portrait we see here, and another painting of a hand holding a letter signed by Velázquez, could be fragments from a larger, full-length work. Valdés died in 1639 and this is probably a posthumous portrait made during the 1640s.

Velázquez used his skill as a portraitist to secure a position as court painter in 1623. During the 1620s and 1630s, he painted numerous portraits of Philip IV, other members of the royal family and various dignitaries present at court – two of them, Philip IV of Spain in Brown and Silver and Philip IV of Spain, are in our collection.