This is a painting by Diego Velázquez (1599–1660), Spanish artist. The work was finished in 1656 and is an oil on canvas of  318 × 276 cm, 125.2 × 108.7 inches. It can be observed at  the permanent exposition of the Museo del Prado, in Madrid. Las Meninas is considered one of the most famous paintings in the world.

The painting shows a large room in the Madrid palace of King Phillip VI and presents the figures of the Infanta Margarita, daughter of King Philip IV of Spain and the eldest daughter of his second wife, Mariana of Austria, surrounded by two ladies-in-waiting, a dwarf, a fool, a mastiff, and Velázquez himself standing at an easel.  The image is captured  in a particular moment as if in a snapshot.

The composition, of enormous representational impact, shows the Infanta Margarita standing proudly. Although she is the smallest, she is clearly the central figure; one of the maids is kneeling before her, and the other leaning towards her, so that the standing Infanta, with her broad hooped skirt, becomes the fulcrum of the movement. The dwarf, Maribarbola, is about the same size as the Infanta; by in comparison,  Margarita seems very delicate.

On the left in the painting, the painter can be seen standing at a vast canvas in calm and in the dark. Velázquez represents himself standing at his easel. He holds in his left hand his palette and a brush in his right. In his belt is the key to the King's chamber. It is considered one of the best self-portraits of Velázquez.

Above the head of the Infanta, the ruling couple is reflected in the mirror, possibly sitting for the painting Velázquez is creating. Although they can only be seen in the mirror reflection, the distant images of the king and queen occupy a central position, both in terms of composition and content. A courtier and chamberlain to the queen, José Nieto de Velázquez, stands in the doorway at the back of the room.

The painting has three focal points: the luminous Infanta Margarita, the self-portrait by Velázquez, and the half-length reflected images of King Philip IV and Queen Mariana. In 1666, the year after the death of Philip IV, Las Meninas is listed in the so-called pieza del despacho, a room in the Alcázar in Madrid that was designed for the personal use of the king. It was thus a painting not designed for public display like its large size might suggest, but intended for the private use of the king. Today Las Meninas easily ranks among the most famous works of Western Art. 

Picasso in 1957 made a recreation of Las Meninas. The famous 20th century artist and co-inventor of cubism, painted a series of 58 interpretations of Las Meninas between August and December 1957. The paintings fill the Las Meninas gallery of the Picasso’s Museo.