Diego Velázquez: The coronation of the Virgin (1645)

(Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain)

A painting by the Spanish artist Diego Velázquez (1599-1660). This painting was commissioned for the prayer chapel of Queen Elizabeth of Bourbon, wife of king Philip IV of Spain, in the Alcázar palace in Madrid. The painting shows a popular scene in the Marian art: the coronation of the virgin Mary as 'Queen of Heaven' by her son Jesus and God the father. Between Jesus and God the father is the Holy Spirit visible in the form of a dove. The Holy Spirit and the heads of Jesus and god the father are all level, representing their equality within the Holy Trinity. Painting from 1645.