Portrait of Diego de Villamayor

Don Diego de Villamayor is a portrait of the painter Pantoja de la Cruz, made in 1605, which is in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The painter of the Spanish kings Felipe II and Felipe III portrayed this member of an order of chivalry, as indicated by the bow on his right arm and the Cross of Alcántara on his chest. [1] The young man, dressed in finery and with armor, leans on a bow sword, characteristic of the seventeenth century.

The model of the portrait is identified on the basis of the inscription as Diego Sarmiento de Sotomayor y Villamayor at the age of 17 - son of Diego Sarmiento de Sotomayor, Count of Salvatierra (courtier of Philip II). [2]​

The portrait follows the guidelines of the Venetian and Flemish schools in terms of the representation of austerity, sobriety but also in the richness of lace and jewelry. [3]​