Which Spanish painter created 'Las Meninas'?

Which Spanish painter created “Las Meninas”? Diego Velázquez created it.

Velázquez painted the work in 1656 while serving as court painter to King Philip IV of Spain. It shows the young Infanta Margaret Theresa surrounded by ladies-in-waiting, attendants, dwarfs, a dog, and the artist himself. A mirror in the background appears to reflect the king and queen, making the viewer’s position part of the painting’s puzzle.

The scene is set in Velázquez’s studio in the Madrid Alcázar. Its unusual mixture of portraiture, court ceremony, reflected images, and open space made it one of the most analyzed paintings in Western art. The title means “The Ladies-in-Waiting,” although early inventories called it “The Family.”

A common mix-up is to classify Velázquez simply as an Italian-style Baroque painter. He was Spanish and a leading figure of the Spanish Golden Age, though his sophisticated light, space, and realism strongly influenced later artists.