Diego Velázquez was born in Seville, Spain in 1599 and died in Madrid in 1660. He showed an interest in painting from a young age and became an apprentice of a religious painter at age 11. After eight years of study, he opened his own studio and eventually moved to Madrid, where he became the court painter for King Philip IV. In his later years, Velázquez received high honors for his work, including becoming a noble.