CHAPTER XII.
VELASQUEZ During the years in which Van Dyck was painting his beautiful portraits of the Royal Family of England, another painter, Velasquez, was immortalizing another Royal Family in the far-away country of Spain.
Cut off by the great mountains of the Pyrenees from the rest of Europe, Spain did not rank among the foremost powers until after the discovery of America had brought wealth to her from the gold mines of Mexico and Peru.

In the sixteenth century the King of Spain's dominions, actual or virtual, covered a great part of Western Europe, excepting England and France.

Germany, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands, owned the sovereignty of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V.His son was Philip II.

of Spain, the husband of our Queen Mary of England, and his great-grandson was King Philip IV., the patron of Velasquez, as Charles I.was of Van Dyck.
It is the little son of Philip IV., Don Balthazar Carlos, whose portrait is before us--as manly and sturdy looking a little fellow as ever bestrode a pony.

He was but six years old when Velasquez painted the picture here reproduced.