Copy of a fragment of "Portrait of Queen Mariana of Austria" by Velázquez

Velázquez's impact on Sorolla's art was profound. This inherited interest, as with many Spanish artists, began to manifest itself from 1882 onwards when Sorolla made copies of the Sevillian artist's work on his many visits to the Prado Museum in Madrid while he was training at the School of Fine Arts in Valencia, part of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Carlos. These copies, which were intended for study and further training, also had an important sentimental value, as they were kept by Sorolla until his death because of the affection he felt for them. This is precisely the case with this painting, which copies the bust of the portrait of Doña Mariana of Austria by the Sevillian painter.