Birth Name: Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez
Date of Birth: June 6, 1599
Place of Birth: Seville, Spain
Date of Death: August 6, 1660
Place of Death: Madrid, Spain
Ethnicity: Portuguese, Spanish [Andalusian], possibly Sephardi Jewish
Diego Velázquez was a Spanish painter. He was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV, and one of the most important painters of the Spanish Golden Age.
Diego was the son of João Rodrigues da Silva and Jerónima Velázquez de Buenrostro.
Diego’s paternal grandparents were Diogo da Silva and Maria Rodrigues. They were from Oporto, Portugal.
Diego’s maternal grandparents were Juan Velázquez Moreno and Catalina de Buon Rostro y de Zayas. They were from Seville, Andalusia.
According some references, his paternal family were of Sephardi Jewish descent.