Question 1

True or false: His painting 'The Rokeby Venus' was destroyed in a fire at the Prado Museum.

Accepted Answer

False. It survived a 1914 suffragette attack with slash marks but was restored; it remains intact at the National Gallery, London.

Question 2

True or false: Velázquez served as both court painter and royal quartermaster for King Philip IV.

Accepted Answer

True. He rose to become aposentador mayor, managing palace logistics—a rare administrative role for an artist.

Question 3

True or false: Velázquez painted the only known portrait of Pope Innocent X while in Italy.

Accepted Answer

True. His 1650 portrait of Innocent X is a masterpiece, but he also painted his servant Juan de Pareja first to test his skill.

Question 4

True or false: Velázquez never painted a self-portrait during his entire career.

Accepted Answer

False. He appears in 'Las Meninas' as the painter at work, and a separate self-portrait exists from his later years.

Question 5

True or false: Velázquez painted mostly religious scenes for Spanish churches and cathedrals.

Accepted Answer

False. He focused on royal portraits, mythological scenes, and bodegones; religious works are rare in his surviving oeuvre.

Question 6

True or false: Velázquez was a student of Caravaggio and adopted his tenebrist style.

Accepted Answer

False. He never met Caravaggio; his early chiaroscuro came from studying Spanish and Italian masters, not direct mentorship.

Question 7

True or false: Velázquez was knighted by Philip IV just months before his death.

Accepted Answer

True. He was inducted into the Order of Santiago in 1659, though the paperwork was backdated to avoid scandal over his artist status.

Question 8

True or false: Velázquez painted 'Las Meninas' entirely without preliminary sketches.

Accepted Answer

True. X-ray analysis shows he painted directly onto the canvas, making bold changes as he worked—unusual for his era.

Diego Velázquez Trivia Questions