Ways of rendering space in “Las Meninas”

The ways in which Diego Velázquez rendered space in Las Meninas are studied with the aid of a virtual, three-dimensional model of the room depicted in the painting. The model suggests that Velázquez used a large mirror to create his masterpiece. The use of such a mirror probably helped Velázquez in depicting the true perspective of the room, and also explains both the reduced size of the figures portrayed (the Infanta and her companions) and the appearance of the King and Queen’s images in the small mirror.