This print reproduces a tapestry woven in the Gobelins Manufactory after designs by its first director, Charles Le Brun. The tapestry was part of a series called History of the King, which commemorated the earliest triumphs of Louis XIV’s reign. Between 1665 and 1742, seven sets of this series were woven (each piece measuring 18 x 12 feet and taking several years to execute) and used to decorate the walls of royal residences, including Versailles.

The scene depicted here took place in June 1660, when the French and Spanish courts met on the border between the two countries to celebrate the Peace of the Pyrenees and the wedding between Louis XIV and his cousin Maria Theresa. To the left of the French king can be seen Cardinal Mazarin, Louis’s mother Anne of Austria (sister of Philip IV of Spain), and his brother Philippe. Standing just behind the infanta is the painter Diego Velázquez (1599–1660), who had decorated the Spanish side of the pavilion erected for the meeting; he died two months after the event.