In 1634 Velázquez painted five equestrian portraits for the Salón de Reinos at Buon Retiro Palace, one of which was this portrait of the crown prince aged five or six.
Clutching a marshal’s baton, the prince rides a fiery pony. The fluttering sash and his extended arm suggest vitality and resolve. Unlike Rubens, for example, Velázquez painteda real and easily identifiable landscape background and a realistic sky. Under a pale winter sun, Baltasar Carlos is riding near the snow-capped mountains of the Sierra de Guadarrama.
The second half of the 1630s were among Velázquez’ most productive years. He evolved what his contemporaries called »manchas distantes« (»distant stains«), his open handling that brings to life the paint surface and immerses the heir of the casa de Austria in an atmosphere of light, colour and air. Velázquez dramatically foreshortened the horse’s body because the portrait was originally displayed above a door.