Realismo, mitos y símbolos en "Las Hilanderas"

Abstract

The article brings together studies made of the iconography of Velazquez's great work, from the time of its creation. We begin with the title the work received in inventories of the 17th an 18th centuries. Although in 1664 it is called La fábula de Aragne, from 1711 onwards, the tear in which it was incorporated in the royal collections, until 1943 it was interpreted as being a scene of everyday life and was considered to be a great example of Velazquez's realism. However, a suggestion made by Ortega y Gasset and above ali an inconological study by Angulo publishe in 1948 demonstrated that the painting did indeed contain a mythological fable, that originally thougth to be the theme in 1664. Later studies tried to disentangle complex symbols, connectd with those extolling the virtues of the king and the monarchy. We also comment on other studies which emphasized the theatrical nature of the painting, and finally we offer an analysis of the questions raised by the presence of additional materials in the canvas.