Diego Velázquez painted a scene seen in his studio while doing a court portrait as if the scene were being watched by models posing. In the center of the chamber stands the 5-year-old princess also referred the empress and the infanta—Doña Margarita Maria of Austria, the first child of Philip IV and his second wife Mariana. She wears a lush cream-colored gown with a buoyant skirt and diaphanous sleeves. Her soft golden hair and pink cheeks appear to glow, reflecting the stream of natural light that filters into the painting. Directly to the left and right are the titular meninas, the ladies-in-waiting, one kneels to offer the princess a small jug on a silver dish and hands of other outstretched over her voluminous gown. They are dressed in elaborate finery, including butterflies pinned in their hair. Just behind the meninas is a nun, Doña Marcela de Ulloa, who is in mid-discussion speaking with an unidentified guard. Further to the right stand the monstrous dwarf-wife Maribárbola and court jester Nicolás Pertusato who rests his foot on a huge, stocky dog, which some have identified as a mastiff. In the center of the back wall stands an open door where the queen's chamberlain José Nieto Velázquez, who also ran the royal tapestry workshop is either ascending or descending a staircase and looking towards the viewer. Just behind them, Diego Velázquez peering out and portrays himself working on a large canvas. He wears a fine black courtier costume, including a cape and the red cross of Santiago painted on his chest. In the background, there is a mirror that reflects the upper bodies of King Philip IV and Queen Mariana.