Diego de Acedo “El primo” 1632-1635

So called “El primo” –The cousin – Diego de Acedo worked as a courier and custodian of the Royal seal for 1635 to 1660, hence the book that he is holding along with the inkpot and the pen at his feet . Little is known about the origin of the Alias, since his second surname was Velázquez it has been speculated that could be a kin of the painter or of another knight of the court called Juan de acedo y Velázquez , but it’s likely that the suggested kinship was a joke. Looking at the picture, the theory purported by Peñalver sounds more grounded. According to this author “Primo” was the term used by the king to refer “the grandeess who had the privilege to appear in front of the King without taking off their hat, that according to this author, would also be burlesque, since at the time it was unthinkable that a dwarf was granted such privilege. The fact that the second book of el Quijote has got a character -Don Diego de Miranda nicknamed, “El caballero de la verde espada y del verde Gabán” alluding the attire jesters used to wear reinforces this thesis- . It’s for certain that he received in his face a shot intended for Diego de Guzmán el Conde Duque de Olivares and that had a well earned reputation as a philanderer, since chronicles at the time documented he had an affair with Marcos de la Encinilla Aposentador of King’s palace’s wife . De la Encinilla tried to kill Diego de Acedo one morning in 1643 he went for a walk with the king, and having failed, killed his wife instead.

Velázquez performed this portrait in 1635 and not in 1644 as it been suggested. His grave glance along with the fact that his short legs are merged into the background are consistent with the dignified appearance of all Velázquez jesters.

This obra by Representations of Disability in Spanish Baroque Portraiture:Velazquez´s jesters is licensed under a Creative Commons Reconocimiento 3.0 Estados Unidos License.
Based on a work at caperucitacoja.blogspot.com.
Melania Moscoso, 2009 ©