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Las Meninas is a 1656 painting by Diego Velázquez. The painting depicts Infanta Margaret Theresa surrounded by her entourage. Behind them, Velázquez portrays himself working at a large canvas, and a mirror in the background reflects the upper bodies of the king and queen. The Italian Baroque painter Luca Giordano described Las Meninas as the "theology of painting", and in 1827 Thomas Lawrence called the work "the true philosophy of the art". The painting has since become a focal point for scholarly debates about representation, spectatorship, and the social status of the artist. Michel Foucault opened The Order of Things with an extended analysis of its treatment of classical representation; Svetlana Alpers read it as Velázquez's claim for painting as a liberal art; and Leo Steinberg and Joel Snyder have offered competing accounts of its spatial logic and the function of the mirror on the back wall. (Full article...)

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Char magaz

... that char magaz (example pictured) can be considered a spice mix, despite comprising only various melon seeds?
... that Lorenzo Delmonico was credited with "[turning] eating into a form of entertainment"?
... that the San Diego California Temple was designed in part by a Roman Catholic couple who had never previously entered a Latter-day Saint temple?
... that Zohran Mamdani wore an eri silk tie from Indian fashion designer Kartik Kumra at his inauguration as mayor of New York City?
... that, while returning from his only State Opening of Parliament, Edward VIII passed a group of Germans who gave the Nazi salute?
... that Canadian model Nicole Williams English announced her pregnancy by showing off her baby bump at a runway show?
... that Rhinotocinclus collinsae was named after Margaret S. Collins, an African-American child prodigy, entomologist and civil rights activist who was known as the "termite lady"?
... that Luis García won two domestic titles and one international title, after spending most of his career as a substitute goalkeeper?
... that a Montana TV station once sent out an emergency alert that claimed "the bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking the living"?

In the news

John Pardon

In mathematics, the Fields Medal is awarded to Yu Deng, John Pardon (pictured), Jacob Tsimerman and Hong Wang.
Co-president of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega announces the suspension of the next general election, declaring that the country will no longer have elections.
Andy Burnham succeeds Keir Starmer as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party following a leadership election.
Carlos Vila Nova is re-elected President of São Tomé and Príncipe.

On this day

July 25: Saint James's Day (Western Christianity); Tenjin Matsuri in Japan; National Day of Galicia; Puerto Rico Constitution Day

Central medallion of the Duffield Memorial

1261 – Struggle for Constantinople: Alexios Strategopoulos led Nicaean forces to recapture Constantinople, leading to the reestablishment of the Byzantine Empire and the end of the Latin Empire.
1591 – Eighty Years' War: Dutch and English forces relieved the siege of Knodsenburg in the Spanish Netherlands, having defeated the Duke of Parma's army in the field.
1950 – Korean War: After American troops withdrew, North Korean forces captured the village of Yongdong in South Korea.
2001 – Phoolan Devi, a serving Indian member of Parliament, was shot outside her house in New Delhi, India.
2022 – The Duffield Memorial (central medallion pictured) in Great Baddow, an "unusual example of Art Nouveau design in metal work", was designated a listed building by Historic England.

Sibylla, Queen of Jerusalem (d. 1190)
Hulk (b. 1986)
Chawarin Perdpiriyawong (b. 2001)
David Trimble (d. 2022)

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Today's featured picture

Lavaux is a region in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, in the district of Lavaux-Oron. The region consists of 830 hectares (2,100 acres) of terraced vineyards that stretch for about 30 kilometres (19 mi) along the south-facing northern shores of Lake Geneva. The region is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the formal name Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces. The vine terraces in the area date to the 11th century, under the rule of Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries. The main variety of wine grape grown here is Chasselas. This photograph shows an aerial view of the terraced vineyards of Lavaux near the village of Rivaz, overlooking Lake Geneva.

Photograph credit: Lorenz Poffet

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