Rokeby Venus Venus looking into a mirror, and as both had had close ties to the Spanish court, their examples would have been familiar to Velázquez. However, "this girl with her small waist and jutting hip, does not resemble the fuller more rounded Italian nudes inspired by ancient sculpture". One innovation of the "Rokeby Venus", when compared to other large single nude paintings, lies in the fact that Velázquez depicts a back view of its subject who is turned away from the viewer. There were precedents for this in prints by Giulio Campagnola, Agostino Veneziano, Hans Sebald Beham and Theodor de Bry,
Ralph Rokeby (died 1596) Rokeby represented Huntingdon in the English Parliament of 1571, and has been tentatively identified with this man. However, there is no firm evidence for this identification, and it is equally likely to have been his relative, Ralph Rokeby (died 1595), a lawyer and historian. Ralph Rokeby (died 1596) Ralph Rokeby (c.1527–1596) was an English barrister and judge who held high office in Ireland. He was born at Mortham in Yorkshire, the second son of Thomas Rokeby and his wife Jane Constable; Jane was the daughter of Sir Robert Constable of Cliffe, Selby, who was executed in 1537 for his part