Andalusian school; follower of BARTOLOME ESTEBAN MURILLO (Seville, 1617 - 1682); 18th century.
"Virgin of the girdle".
Oil on canvas.
It presents important repainting and restorations.
It has damages in the frame.
Measurements: 52 x 47 cm; 71,5 x 67 cm (frame).
This painting shows a notorious Murillo's influence as it is a compositional copy of the painting of the Virgin of the girdle made by Murillo, nowadays belonging to a private collection. At the same time, however, it reflects numerous technical aspects that are personal to another artist. Particularly characteristic of his style is the gentle, kind expression on the Virgin's face as she lovingly embraces the Child. The scene shows Mary wrapping the Child in swaddling clothes and then putting on the girdle on the left, from which the painting takes its name. This canvas is based on the original model of the work painted by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo in 1675, now in the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest. The present work has the same dimensions.
Little is known of Murillo's childhood and youth, except that he lost his father in 1627 and his mother in 1628, for which reason he was taken into the care of his brother-in-law. Around 1635 he must have begun his apprenticeship as a painter, most likely with Juan del Castillo, who was married to a cousin of his. This working and artistic relationship lasted about six years, as was customary at the time. After his marriage in 1645 he embarked on what was to be a brilliant career that gradually made him the most famous and sought-after painter in Seville. The only trip he is known to have made is documented in 1658, when Murillo was in Madrid for several months. It is conceivable that while at court he maintained contact with the painters who lived there, such as Velázquez, Zurbarán and Cano, and that he had access to the collection of paintings in the Royal Palace, a magnificent subject of study for all the artists who passed through the court. Despite the few documentary references to his mature years, we know that he enjoyed a comfortable life, which enabled him to maintain a high standard of living and have several apprentices. Having become the city's leading painter, surpassing even Zurbarán in fame, he was determined to raise the artistic level of local painting. In 1660 he decided, together with Francisco Herrera el Mozo, to found an academy of painting, of which he was the main driving force.