Las Hilanderas (The Spinners)

Francisco Muntaner, after Agustín Esteve, after Diego Velázquez

National Gallery of Art

The image depicts a group of six women engaging in textile work. Five of them are actively participating in the foreground, while others are visible through a large archway in the background. The women in the foreground are working with spinning wheels and spools. One woman is operating a spinning wheel, while a young girl gathers yarn from the floor beside her. Another woman is winding yarn onto a spool, while a woman beside her is seated and focused on her work. A fifth woman leans in from the left. In the background, a woman seems to be gesturing towards others. The women are wearing simple dresses and bodices typical of a working environment. Other details include a ladder, a drawn-back curtain, a circular design on the ceiling, a window casting light into the room, and a cat among the balls of yarn on the floor.