Velasquez also painted a portrait of Juan de Pareja. In this painting Pareja is turned three quarters to the right. He looks very serious and very dignified as well as very intelligent. By looking at this portrait you would not conclude Pareja was a slave or servant, but looks like an educator. The portrait was sold for 5.5 million dollars to the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art from a London auction house.
Today there are many known copies of the painting.
The slave trade involved millions of people during this time period. Based on where you get your information will determine what you find out. Some sources, like the Encyclopedia Britannica , say Pareja was a servant, but the book I, Juan de Pareja says Pareja was a slave to Velasquez. If the book I, Juan de Pareja is accurate with its information, then Juan de Pareja was born into slavery and lived with his mother as a slave for the first five years of his life, until his mother's death. He then was moved to be with his master's mistress and, following her death, he went on to live with her nephew Diego Velasquez, who taught him the art of painting.