The Immaculate Conception of El Escorial

Painting by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

The Immaculate Conception of El Escorial

Immaculate Conception of the Granja
Artist| Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
Year| c. 1660-65
Medium| oil paint, canvas
Dimensions| 206 cm (81 in) × 144 cm (57 in)
Location| Museo del Prado, Royal Palace of Madrid
Owner| Ferdinand VII
Collection| Museo del Prado
Accession No.| P000972

[edit on Wikidata]

The Immaculate Conception of El Escorial is a circa 1660-1665 oil religious painting by the Spanish Baroque artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, now in the Museo del Prado in Madrid. Murillo's many artistic depictions of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary were enormously influential on later art.[1] This painting is regarded as one of his best. It was earlier identified as the Immaculate Conception of the Granja due to a mistaken understanding of its history.

## Background

[edit]

Although the doctrine that Mary was conceived without sin was not dogmatically defined in the Catholic Church until 1854,[2] that she was sinless was declared in 1661 by Pope Alexander VII, a declaration for which the Spanish church and the Franciscan order had long been strong proponents.[1] To the Spanish Marian cult, not just Mary's purity but the concept that she had been conceived without sin was essential.[3] This was the belief held by Spain and the Franciscans; by contrast, the Dominican order argued that she had been conceived in sin but purified while unborn in her mother's womb.[1]

Even though the Immaculate Conception doctrine would not be embraced for several centuries, the Spanish rejoiced at the declaration of purity, and many Spanish artists were commissioned to depict the theme.[1] Murillo himself produced 20 such paintings.[3]

## Composition

[edit]

Painted in oil, the work is displayed on a canvas 81.13 inches (2,061 mm) by 56.63 inches (1,438 mm).[1] It depicts Mary as a young woman in a white dress and blue cloak, hands clasped in prayer and eyes upraised, ascending on a crescent moon borne by cherubs. These carry roses, lilies, a palm frond, and a mirror, all references to her purity and martyrdom.[1][4] The crescent moon is a reference to the description of the woman of the Apocalypse, clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, although in this version Mary (as the woman is often identified) is not crowned or pregnant. The near disappearance of the cherubs at the top of the image have been attributed with an overall sense of weightlessness of the piece.[1]

The work is simplified from some of Murillo's earlier efforts,[3] a result of Murillo's ongoing efforts to distill the depiction to its most iconographic form. It is, accordingly, described as "perhaps the most perfectly resolved" of Murillo's Immaculate Conception images in 2005's Seventeenth-century Art and Architecture.[5]

Several influences on Murillo are found in the painting. His depiction of the age of Mary reflects the guidance of artist Francisco Pacheco, official censor of Seville's Inquisition, that the Virgin Mary should be shown always as a beautiful girl of 12 or 13 years old.[4] Additionally, Murillo had been introduced to the works of Van Dyck and Rubens by Francisco Herrera the Younger, who was sub-director of the Seville Academy under Murillo.[4] The influence of these painters is visible in the delicate and airy coloration of the piece.

The work is dated between 1660 and 1665. Because no contract for a commission for the piece has been located, the exact date is undetermined, but the range is presumed because of the style of the piece compared to his other works of the period and because of a drawing by Murillo from 1664 of the Immaculate Conception which, though it features Mary in different pose, uses the same two cherubs from the right of this work.[6]

## Legacy

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It is unknown whether or not the painting was produced on commission or when and why it was produced, but the image is believed to have found its way to the royals collections after purchase by Charles III in Seville.[3] It was then part of the collection of Charles IV, following which it was registered among his collections in the Casita del Príncipe in the Escorial.[4] It is from this registration that the title derives. Previously believed to have been in the Granja palace, it was for some time titled the Immaculate Conception of the Granja.

Murillo's formulation of the Immaculate Conception theme became a major influence on many subsequent artists.[1] He has been described as "the quintessential painter of the theme of the Immaculate Conception" - this is one of four in the collection of the Prado.[7]

## Failed restoration of another version

[edit]

In June 2020, it was reported that a copy of the Immaculate Conception of uncertain origin[8] had been handed to a furniture restorer for restoration, at a cost of €1,200 ($1,355; £1,087). The restoration was botched, with the face of Mary left unrecognisable after two attempts. Spain's Professional Association of Restorers and Conservators (Acre) called the attempted restoration vandalism. Comparisons were made to the 2012 'Monkey Christ' incident, a similarly botched restoration of Ecce Homo.[9][10]

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e f g h Kleiner, Fred S. (2015). Gardner's Art through the Ages: Backpack Edition, Book D: Renaissance and Baroque. Cengage Learning. pp. 726–727. ISBN 9781305544925.
2. ^ "Catechism of the Catholic Church – "Conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary"". www.vatican.va.
3. ^ a b c d "The Immaculate Conception of El Escorial - The Collection". Museo Nacional del Prado. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
4. ^ a b c d "Immaculate Conception | artehistoria.com". www.artehistoria.com. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
5. ^ Sutherland., Harris, Ann (2005). Seventeenth-century art & architecture. London: Laurence King. p. 234\. ISBN 1856694151. OCLC 58832765.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
6. ^ Xavier., Bray (2013). Murillo : at Dulwich Picture Gallery. Murillo, Bartolomé Esteban, 1617-1682., Dulwich Picture Gallery. London: Philip Wilson Publishers. p. 38\. ISBN 9781781300084. OCLC 818732723.
7. ^ Prado., Museo del (2008). 100 masterpieces of the Museo del Prado. Madrid: Museo nacional del Prado. p. 170\. ISBN 9788484801382. OCLC 370822103.
8. ^ "ACRE's statement on the intervention of Murillo's 'Escorial's Immaculate' suspected copy in Valencia" (PDF). Asociación de Conservadores Restauradores de España.
9. ^ "Another Spanish painting is botched by restoration". BBC News. 2020-06-23. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
10. ^ Jones, Sam (2020-06-22). "Experts call for regulation after latest botched art restoration in Spain". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-06-24.

* v
* t
* e

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

Immaculate Conceptions|

* San Vicente (c. 1640–1650)
* La Colasal (1645–1655)
* Esquilache (1645–1655)
* El Escorial (1660–1665)
* Museo Soumaya (c. 1670)
* Aranjuez (c. 1675)
* Los Venerables (c. 1678)
* Walpole (c. 1680)

Other religious works|

* The Vision of Fray Lauterio (c. 1640)
* Joseph and Potiphar's Wife (1640–1645)
* Saint Francis of Assisi at Prayer (c. 1645–1650)
* The Angels' Kitchen (1646)
* The Flight into Egypt (1647–1650)
* Adoration of the Shepherds (Madrid; c. 1650)
* The Holy Family with a Little Bird (1650)
* Our Lady of the Rosary (1650–1655)
* Saint Roderick (c. 1650–1655)
* Rebecca and Eleazar (1652)
* The Vision of Saint Anthony of Padua (1656)
* The Good Shepherd (c. 1660)
* The Birth of the Virgin (1661)
* Christ after the Flagellation (Boston; c. 1665)
* Rest on the Flight into Egypt (c. 1665)
* The Apparition of the Virgin to Saint Bernard (c. 1665)
* Mater Dolorosa (1665)
* The Patrician's Dream (1665)
* Saint Anthony with the Christ Child (1665–1666, 1668–1669)
* Liberation of Peter (1665–1667)
* Isaac Blessing Jacob (1665–1670)
* Saint Justa and Saint Rufina (c. 1666)
* Madonna and Child of the Napkin (c. 1666)
* Christ Healing the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda (c. 1667–1670)
* Christ on the Cross (San Diego; c. 1667–1670)
* The Return of the Prodigal Son (c. 1667–1670)
* The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes (Edinburgh; c. 1667–1682)
* Adoration of the Shepherds (London; c. 1668)
* Saint Thomas of Villanova Giving Alms (c. 1668)
* Saint Francis Embracing Christ on the Cross (1668–1669)
* Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist (c. 1668–1670)
* The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes (Seville; c. 1669–1674)
* Moses at the Rock of Horeb (c. 1669–1674)
* Christ after the Flagellation (Champaign; c. 1670)
* Abraham and the Three Angels (c. 1670–1674)
* The Christ Child and the Infant John the Baptist with a Shell (1670–1675)
* Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Curing the Sick (1672)
* Saint John of God Carrying a Sick Man (1672)
* Ecce Homo (c. 1672–1678)
* Christ on the Cross (New York; c. 1675)
* The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew (1675–1682)
* Christ on the Cross (Madrid; c. 1675)
* Saint Thomas of Villanova Healing a Lame Man (c. 1675)
* The Conversion of Saint Paul (c. 1675–1680)
* Christ on the Cross (Madrid; c. 1677)
* The Christ Child Distributing Bread to Pilgrims (1678)
* The Heavenly and Earthly Trinities (c. 1680)

Genre works|

* The Young Beggar (1645–1650)
* Children Eating Grapes and a Melon (1645–1650)
* Four Figures on a Step (c. 1655–1660)
* Boy with a Dog (1655–1660)
* Two Women at a Window (1665–1675)
* The Little Fruitseller (c. 1670–1675)
* Children Eating a Tart (1670–1675)
* The Flower Girl (c. 1675–1680)

Portraits|

* Portrait of Diego Ortiz de Zúñiga (c. 1653)
* Portrait of Íñigo Melchor Fernandez de Velasco (1658–1659)

Museums|

* Casa de Murillo

* v
* t
* e

Museo del Prado

Buildings

* Villanueva building
* Casón del Buen Retiro
* Hall of Realms
* Cloister of Saint Jerome

Paintings

| Spanish|

* Esquivel: José de Espronceda
* Gisbert: Execution of Torrijos and his Companions on the Beach at Málaga
* Goya: Allegory of Industry – Asmodea – Atropos – Blind Man's Bluff – Boys playing soldiers – Charles IV of Spain and His Family – Los caprichos – Christ Crucified – The Clothed Maja – The Colossus – The Countess of Chinchon – Los disparates – The Dog – The Drunk Mason – The Duchess of Alba and la Beata – Fight with Cudgels – Judith and Holofernes – La Leocadia – Man Mocked by Two Women – La novillada – Portrait of the Marchioness of Santa Cruz – Men Reading – The Milkmaid of Bordeaux – The Naked Maja – The Parasol – A Pilgrimage to San Isidro – Pilgrimage to the Fountain of San Isidro – Saturn Devouring His Son – The Second of May 1808 – Self-portrait at 69 years – Summer – The Third of May 1808 – Two Old Men – Two Old Ones Eating Soup – The Victorious Hannibal Seeing Italy from the Alps for the First Time – Witches' Flight – Witches' Sabbath (The Great He-Goat)
* El Greco: The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest – Adoration of the Shepherds – Doña María de Aragón Altarpiece – Annunciation – Christ Carrying the Cross – The Fable – The Flight into Egypt – Holy Face of Jesus – Holy Trinity – Julián Romero and Saint Julian – Portrait of a Doctor – Portrait of a Gentleman – Portrait of a Young Nobleman – Portrait of an Elderly Man – Portrait of an Unknown Gentleman – Portrait of Jerónimo de Cevallos – Portrait of Rodrigo Vázquez de Arce – Saint Andrew and Saint Francis – Saint Anthony of Padua – Saint Bernardino of Siena [1] – Saint James the Great – Saint John the Evangelist – Saint Paul – Saint Sebastian – Saint Thomas the Apostle – Holy Trinity – The Saviour – Virgin Mary
* Luna: The Death of Cleopatra
* Maíno: Adoration of the Magi – Portrait of a Gentleman – The Recovery of Bahía de Todos los Santos
* Murillo: Adoration of the Shepherds (1650) – Aranjuez Immaculate Conception – The Christ Child and the Infant John the Baptist with a Shell – Christ on the Cross (1675, 1677) – The Conversion of Saint Paul – The Good Shepherd – The Holy Family with a Little Bird – The Immaculate Conception of El Escorial – The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables – The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew – Our Lady of the Rosary – The Patrician's Dream – Rebecca and Eleazar
* Pradilla: Doña Joanna the Mad
* Ribera: Jacob's Dream – Democritus – Isaac and Jacob – Ixion – Tityos – The Martyrdom of Saint Philip – The Blind Sculptor
* Sánchez Gallque: The Mulattos of Esmeraldas [2]
* Velázquez: Las Meninas – The Triumph of Bacchus – Las Hilanderas – The Surrender of Breda – Mars Resting – Equestrian Portrait of Philip IV – Equestrian Portrait of Elisabeth of France – Equestrian Portrait of Prince Balthasar Charles – Equestrian Portrait of Philip III – Equestrian Portrait of Margarita of Austria – Equestrian Portrait of the Count-Duke of Olivares – Adoration of the Magi – Apollo in the Forge of Vulcan – Christ Crucified – Coronation of the Virgin – View of the Garden of the Villa Medici – Prince Balthasar Charles as a Hunter – Portrait of the Infante Don Carlos – Doña Antonia de Ipeñarrieta y Galdós and Her Son Don Luis – The Jester Barbarroja – The Jester Calabacillas – The Jester Don Diego de Acedo – The Jester Don John of Austria – Portrait of Francisco Lezcano – Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Pink Dress – Portrait of Maria Anna – Portrait of Juan Martínez Montañés – The Nun Jerónima de la Fuente – Portrait of Pablo de Valladolid – Portrait of Philip IV in Armour – Portrait of Mariana of Austria – Portrait of Sebastián de Morra
* Zurbarán: Agnus Dei – The Death of Hercules – The Defence of Cádiz Against the English – Hercules and the Hydra – Hercules Separates Mounts Calpe and Abylla – Hercules Fighting the Nemean Lion – Saint Elizabeth of Portugal – Saint Luke Painting the Crucifixion – Saint Peter Nolasco's Vision of Saint Peter the Apostle – Still Life with Pots – The Vision of Saint Peter Nolasco

|

Dutch,
Flemish,
German|

* Anonymous: The Fountain of Life
* Baldung: The Ages and Death
* Bosch: The Garden of Earthly Delights – Adoration of the Magi – Cutting the Stone – The Haywain Triptych – Head of a Halberdier – Paradise and Hell – The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things – The Temptation of St Anthony
* Bouts: Triptych of the Virgin's Life
* Bruegel the Elder: The Triumph of Death – The Wine of Saint Martin's Day – Excursion in the Countryside of Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia – Life in the Countryside – The Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia in the Mariemont Park (with de Momper) – Landscape (with de Momper) – The Five Senses (with Rubens)
* Campin: Marriage of the Virgin – Werl Triptych
* de Crayer: Caritas Romana (1625)
* David: Rest on the Flight into Egypt
* Dürer: Adam and Eve – Self-Portrait
* van Dyck: Self-portrait with Sir Endymion Porter – The Betrayal of Christ – The Brazen Serpent – Diana and a Nymph Surprised by a Satyr – Saint Rosalia – The Crowning with Thorns
* van Hemessen: The Surgeon
* Francken the Younger: The Sciences and the Arts
* Jordaens: Apollo as Victor over Pan – Meleager and Atalanta – The Painter's Family
* Memling: Adoration of the Magi
* Mengs: Portrait of José Nicolás de Azara
* de Momper: Landscape with Sea and Mountains – A Farm – Flemish Market and Washing Place – Landscape with Skaters – The Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia in the Mariemont Park (with Brueghel the Elder) – Landscape (with Brueghel the Elder)
* Patinir: Landscape with Charon Crossing the Styx
* Rembrandt: Judith at the Banquet of Holofernes
* Rubens: The Judgement of Paris (1638) – The Three Graces – Adoration of the Magi – The Dance of the Villagers – Diana and Callisto – Equestrian Portrait of the Duke of Lerma – The Fall of Man – The Garden of Love – The Birth of the Milky Way – The Rape of Europa – The Rape of Ganymede – Saint George and the Dragon – Saturn – The Triumph of the Church – Deucalion and Pyrrha – The Five Senses (with Brueghel the Elder)
* Stom: The Incredulity of Saint Thomas
* Strobel: Feast of Herod with the Beheading of St John the Baptist
* Teniers the Younger: Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in his Painting Gallery in Brussels (1651)
* Verhaecht: Alpine Landscape
* van der Weyden: The Descent from the Cross – Durán Madonna

Italian|

* Fra Angelico: Annunciation
* Anguissola: Portrait of Elisabeth of Valois – Portrait of Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia [3] – Portrait of Giovanni Battista Caselli
* Barocci: Nativity
* Bellini: Madonna and Child with Saint Mary Magdalene and Saint Ursula
* Botticelli: The Story of Nastagio Degli Onesti, part one
* Caravaggio: David and Goliath
* Carracci: Assumption of the Virgin – Mural Paintings from the Herrera Chapel – Venus, Adonis and Cupid
* Correggio: Noli me tangere – Madonna and Child with the Infant John the Baptist
* A. Gentileschi: The Birth of Saint John the Baptist
* O. Gentileschi: The Finding of Moses (1633)
* Leonardo: Mona Lisa (by his studio)
* Lotto: Portrait of Marsilio Cassotti and His Bride Faustina
* Mantegna: Death of the Virgin
* Parmigianino: Holy Family with Angels – Portrait of Camilla Gonzaga and Her Three Sons – Portrait of Pier Maria Rossi di San Secondo – Saint Barbara
* Raphael: Portrait of a Cardinal – Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary – Madonna of the Rose – Visitation – La Perla (with Romano)
* Romano: Holy Family under an Oak Tree
* Andrea del Sarto: Sacrifice of Isaac
* Tintoretto: Christ Washing the Disciples' Feet – Joseph and Potiphar's Wife – Judith and Holofernes (by his studio) – The Washing of the Feet
* Tiepolo: The Immaculate Conception
* Titian: The Bacchanal of the Andrians – Equestrian Portrait of Charles V – The Fall of Man – Alfonso d'Avalos Addressing his Troops – Danaë Receiving the Golden Rain (1565) – The Entombment – La Gloria – Virgin and Child Between Saints Anthony of Padua and Roch – Mater Dolorosa – Philip II in Armour – Portrait of Charles V with a Dog – Portrait of Federico II Gonzaga – Portrait of Isabella of Portugal – Sisyphus – Tityus – Religion saved by Spain – Self-Portrait (1567) – Saint Margaret and the Dragon – Venus and Adonis (1554) – Venus and Musician (1550, 1555) – The Virgin and Child with Saint George and Saint Dorothy – The Worship of Venus
* Veronese: Venus and Adonis – Christ Among the Doctors – The Finding of Moses

French|

* Anonymous: Agony in the Garden
* Baudry: The Pearl and the Wave
* van Loo: The Family of Philip V (1743)
* Lorrain: Landscape with St Paula of Rome Embarking at Ostia – The Ford – Landscape with St María de Cervelló – Landscape with the Burial of St Serapia – Landscape with the Finding of Moses – Landscape with the Temptation of St Anthony – Landscape with Tobias and Raphael
* Poussin: Parnassus – Landscape with Three Figures – Saint Cecilia
* Ranc: The Family of Philip V (1723) – Portrait of Ferdinand VI as a Boy
* Watteau: Marriage Contract and Country Dancing
* Vouet: Time Defeated by Love, Beauty and Hope

Other|

* British paintings

Sculptures

| Rome|

* The Apotheosis of Claudius
* Castor and Pollux

|

* [1] On display at El Greco Museum in Toledo
* [2] On display at Museo de América in Madrid
* [3] On display at the Spanish Embassy in Paris

* Category

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