José López-Rey dates it to 1628-1629 (before the painter's firsts trip to Italy in August 1629) and links it to a portrait with this title mentioned in a 1701 inventory of works in the Buen Retiro Palace along with five "other portraits [of jesters] of the same dimensions and quality as that of Cabaçillas, with a portrait in one hand and a billet [piece of paper] in the other".