In 1619, Diego Velázquez is an emerging painter in the Sevillian academy of his father-in-law, Francisco Pacheco, but his mind is on painting large canvases. His ambition soon takes him to the court of Philip IV, where he soon rises to prominence. Meanwhile, the country is immersed in military defeats and national chaos. As Velázquez receives privileges he becomes aware of the decadence of the court. Torn between family duty and the easy seductions around power, Velázquez decides to carry out the most dangerous painting, which could lead him directly to the clutches of the Inquisition: the naked Venus, looking at herself in the mirror. A masterfully executed historical novel that recreates the historical context of a corrupt court and a country on the verge of collapse. A historical novel that illuminates the passions and scandals of one of the best - if not the best - Spanish painter. Mujicas prose is vigorous and intense, and the story is paradoxically both dark and illuminating.