A novel by Elizabeth Borton De Trevino. Based on the historical figures of Juan de Pareja and Diego Velazquez, this book tells the story of young Juan, a slave and assistant to the Spanish court painter, Velazquez. The story follows Juan over the years as he serves in the Velazquez household and dreams of pursuing his hope of becoming a painter, which is forbidden to slaves in 17th century Spain. The novel includes known historical events in de Pareja's life but also fills in details where little is known.
This novel contains examples of:
- A Friend in Need: Demonstrated by Juan's friend, Bartolome, when Juan and Lolis are looking for a place to set up Juan's studio. Bartolome welcomes them with open arms and assures Juan that he can paint in safety, at which point Juan realizes that he never told Bartolome that he is now free and can legally paint, yet Bartolome was willing to shelter him anyway.
- Anxiety Dreams: Juan says that he's heard of children having dreams where their parents have died, whereas he begins having nightmares that he's been sold.
- Bargain with Heaven: When Master Velazquez has an bad infection which looks like it might permanently injure his hand, which as a painter is his livelihood, Juan begs God (more specifically through the intercession of the Virgin Mary) to heal his master's hand, and Juan will confess his painting (which as a slave in Spain is illegal).
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: Being set in 17th century Spain, slavery is commonplace, and even the kind Velazquez's keep slaves (though they do free them by the end of the books). It is clear that, however happy Juan might be with his master, slavery is not a good thing, and Juan's experience is the exception rather than the norm.
- Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: Invoked by Juan regarding an apprentice, Cristobal, who has angelic good looks but is an absolute jerk who steals and tries to frame Juan for it.
- First Love: Juan falls in love for the first time with a fellow slave named Miri. It has all the hallmarks of a comical crush since 1) Juan has never actually talked to her and just knows that she's beautiful and musically skilled, 2) he becomes very distracted to the point that Mistress Velazquez can tell he's lovesick and 3) he starts taking every opportunity to run errands to her part of town, just on the off chance he'll see her. Instead, it's played rather sad as Juan witnesses Miri having a seizure and her subsequent fears that her owner will eventually sell her rather than put up with the bother. Miri leave shortly after that, and Juan never does know what happened to her.
- Good Is Not Dumb: Bartolome is kind and friendly, treats Juan as an equal and best friend even though one is a slave and the other is free, tells Master Velazquez that he paints saints from human models because he looks for and finds good in all people. And when Juan shows Bartolome his Madonna, painted in secret and against the law, Bartolome rightfully praises it and innocently points out that Juan has not broken the spirit of the law (in that he hasn't given competition to freedman). However, he is also shrewd in his reasoning of why Juan hasn't sinned in painting (Juan believes he has sinned and therefore can't receive communion without confessing) and in his advice to Juan in how to break the news to Master Velazquez. Innocent as a dove and shrewd as a snake is our Bartolome.
- Happily Married: Surprisingly in an era when marriage was more practical than romantic, there are a few examples.
- Master and Mistress Velazquez. When Mistress Velazquez is crying because their daughter, Paquita, is engaged, the Master asks her if it has been so terrible being married to a painter (Paquita is also going to marry a painter), Mistress tells him, "Oh, it's been heaven." On the other side, Master Velazquez is devastated when his wife passes away.
- Juan and Lolis.
- Happiness in Slavery: Subverted, played straight and discussed.
- Juan's first owner views him, in his words, in the same category as her pet dog "whom she alternately cuffed and cuddled." Juan is not unaware of the faults in her treatment of him but still loves her because of the kindnesses she shows him, such as getting up in the night to take care of Juan when he is sick. Since she dies while Juan is still young, it is unclear how his opinion might have changed as he matured.
- Juan's second owner, Diego Velazquez, treats him with the same respect and care as any of his freeborn apprentices, and Velazquez's daughters see him has a big brother. While Juan wishes he could paint, he specifically notes that he does not otherwise desire his freedom. This is, however, at least partly because Juan knows from experience the difficulties of being black and alone in racist Spain whereas in the Velazquez household he is protected and considered one of the family.
- Discussed in regard to Juan's first crush, Miri, who often has seizures and fears being sold because of the nuisance to her owner. Juan notices that while the owner is affectionate and soothes Miri and tells her not to say such things, she doesn't actually assure Miri that she won't someday sell her.
- Mostly subverted with Lolis who understandably hates being a slave and being owned. During her time with the Velazquez's, she does come to love them but never stops wishing to be free. At the end, when the Velazquez family frees her and Juan so they can marry and have children who will be born free, they both observe sadly that many of their kin are still enslaved, and it's clear neither her nor Juan mistake their own fortunate experience with Velazquez as the norm.
- Hot-Blooded: Juan describes his Second Love and eventual wife Lolis like this, noting how she could explode into fury at a moment's notice, though also just as quickly turn calm, and was not content or resigned to her enslaved status.
