Ovidian Sources of Diego VelÁzquez’s Las Hilanderas

Deanna L. Wesolowski (University of Missouri, Columbia)

This paper examines Diego Velázquez’s Las Hilanderas (The Spinners, 1658) and Ovid’s Metamorphoses (6.1-145). Many scholars have seen connections between the text and the painting, and have established that the latter is a representation of Minerva and Arachne. However, these interpretations tend to overlook the details Velázquez included from the Metamorphoses. This paper will show that the painting is an allusive narration of the text incorporating plot points from Ovid’s version of the myth to create a continuously-narrated painting. Velázquez loosely alludes to the activities of the contestants – mainly Arachne – in the foreground; he then uses the activities of the foreground to draw the viewer to the background (and arguably the main) scene of Minerva preparing to shred Arachne’s tapestry. In the same way, Ovid emphasizes Arachne, drawing the reader into the contest that culminates in her punishment. A close reading of the Metamorphoses and Las Hilanderas shows that Velázquez is presenting a careful visual translation of Ovid’s tale of Minerva and Arachne.