Velazquez, Las Meninas 2Diego Velázquez

Las Meninas (1656)

Las Meninas presents several figures from the Spanish court in a large room in the Madrid palace of King Philip IV of Spain.

The young Infanta Margarita is surrounded by her entourage of maids of honour, chaperone, bodyguard,  two dwarfs and a dog.

Just behind them, Velázquez portrays himself working at a large canvas.
Some figures are interacting among themselves,  others are looking out at the viewer.
Velázquez also looks outwards, beyond the pictorial space to where a viewer of the painting would stand.

A mirror hangs in the background and reflects the King and Queen.

The royal couple appear to be placed outside the picture space in a position similar to that of the viewer, although some scholars have speculated that their image is a reflection from the painting Velázquez is shown working on.

However, in looking at the various viewpoints of the painting it is unclear as to who or what is the true subject.
Is it the royal daughter, or perhaps the painter himself?
The answer may lie in the image on the back wall, depicting the King and Queen.

Is this image a mirror, in which case the King and Queen are standing where we stand?                                                                                                            Are they the subject  of  Velazquez’s work?
Or is the work simply a court painting?  (Wikipedia, Museo del Prado Madrid)