It has a red area of texture like crushed beads of glass and gold glitter in 3-dimension. This gave me the idea to add a similar texture in parts of the real paintings. Acquired in Italy by the Earl of Carlisle about the middle of the 18th century. T he Spanish intelligently used palace dwarfs to provide care for their royal children. It makes perfect sense as they are similar in size which has many advantages and yet one is an adult and one is a child.
Most books identify the dwarf as male .
If the dwarf is male, the identity of Lezcano has been suggested. T he palette in the portrait uses a vast range of greens. I think the looser brushwork was a choice of the artist and set the exact correct tone for the character he was portraying. At times Velazquez painted with a loosen end of a bamboo pole for effect, as he did on a visit to Rome. Dwarf Lezcano's mind and those of the other dwarfs could have been very sharp.