Fine Art

The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception — History & Facts

The Virgin Mary stands on the moon, crowned with stars and bathed in golden sunlight, as cherubim bear her up. These signs come from the Book of Revelation and show the whole cosmos acknowledging her triumph over sin: the Immaculate Conception. At Mary's feet, cherubim hold a text proclaiming her freedom from sin, taken from the Old Testament story of Esther. The polished brushwork of the Virgin's face and the looser handling of the lively cherubs suggest, according to the Walters Art Museum, that two assistants painted this altarpiece. This large canvas, 250 × 178.5 cm, was made in the workshop of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo around 1660.

It is in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore.

Sources: Walters Art Museum, record 37.286 · Wikidata Q18749427 · Image source (Wikimedia Commons)

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