Court dwarf
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Over the course of history, some people with dwarfism were employed as court dwarfs. They were owned and traded amongst people of the court, and delivered as gifts to kings and queens. Filling a simil
19th-century depiction of servants in the Ottoman Imperial Harem: the Chief Black Eunuch (left), a court dwarf (middle) and the Chief White Eunuch (right).
Stele hieroglyph depicting the court dwarf Hed, who died with his master, from the tomb of the Egyptian Pharaoh Den, 2850 BCE
Spanish court dwarfs with a dog by Jan van Kessel the Younger, 1670s
Portrait of Philip IV of Spain with his court dwarf by Gaspar de Crayer
Maria Bárbola
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Maria Bárbola, also known as Mari, Mariabárbola and Mariabárbola Asquín, was a Spanish courtier, foremost known from the famous painting Las Meninas.
Court dwarf
…European court dwarfs, the most famous were those of Philip IV of Spain, who were often painted by the court painter Diego Velázquez. One of them was Maria Bárbola, who was employed as Enana de la Reina, the official dwarf of the queen, between 1651 and 1700. Queen's Household employed several other court dwafs…
Maria Bárbola, as depicted in Las Meninas, by Diego Velázquez