PAREJA, JUAN DE

born c. 1610, , Seville died 1670, Madrid byname El Esclavo (Spanish: The Slave) Spanish painter and student of Diego Velzquez. A mulatto, Pareja was Velzquez' slave and accompanied him on his second visit to Italy (164951), where Velzquez painted his portrait. The portrait was purchased at auction by the Metropolitan Museum in 1970 for nearly $5.5 million, a record at the time. According to early writers, Pareja painted in the manner of Velzquez, but his only known portrait is a crude reflection of Velzquez' style. While in Rome, Pareja was granted his freedom (1650) by Velzquez.