Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

Lore & Background

Murillo was probably born in December 1617 to Gaspar Esteban, a barber surgeon, and María Pérez Murillo. After his parents died in 1627 and 1628, he became a ward of his older sister Ana and her husband, Juan Agustín Lagares, also a barber. He seldom used his father's surname, taking his surname from his maternal grandmother, Elvira Murillo. He began his art studies in Seville in the workshop of Juan del Castillo, his uncle and godfather. His early work was influenced by Francisco de Zurbarán, Jusepe de Ribera, and Alonso Cano. According to fellow painter Antonio Palomino, Murillo left Castillo's workshop after feeling sufficiently skilled, and allegedly traveled to Madrid in 1642, where he likely became familiar with the work of Velázquez. Palomino denied claims that Murillo traveled to Italy, arguing his success came from Spain alone.

Reader's Guide

Murillo's career began in earnest in 1645, when he married Beatriz Cabrera y Villalobos and received his first major commission: eleven canvases for the convent of San Francisco in Seville. These works depicted Franciscan saints and combined tenebrism with a softly luminous style. He also painted children, such as The Young Beggar, showing Velázquez's influence. After a period in Madrid from 1658 to 1660, he returned to Seville and co-founded the Academia de Bellas Artes. His mature works, including the Virgin and Child and the Immaculate Conception, brought him great success. Murillo died in 1682 after falling from a scaffold while working on a fresco in Cádiz. His legacy includes many pupils and followers; before the 19th century, his work was more widely known than that of any other Spanish artist. Artists influenced by his style included Gainsborough and Greuze. His paintings are held in museums such as the Museo del Prado, the Hermitage Museum, and the Wallace Collection.

Did You Know?

• Murillo was baptized on 1 January 1618 in Santa Maria Magdalena, a parish in Seville.
• He seldom used his father's surname, instead taking his surname from his maternal grandmother, Elvira Murillo.
• He painted two self-portraits, one in the Frick Collection and one in London's National Gallery.
• Google marked the 400 years since his birth with a doodle on 29 November 2018.