Diego Velázquez
Ten years before this picture was painted, Justin von Nassau, the commanding officer of Breda, surrendered the city to the Genoese Ambrosio Spinola, commander of the Spanish forces. Breda was one of the border military bases of the Netherlands, which had long been a coveted territory and therefore, a site of much contention. This victory was one of the last triumphs achieved by Spain in the period when she was established as a great world power.