The Nativity

Bartolomé Estebán Murillo

ca. 1665–70 · Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over traces of leadpoint or soft black chalk · Drawings and Prints

One of the best known of all Spanish artists, Murillo spent most of his life in Seville, where he established an important drawing school. Many sheets from his hand have survived. This drawing is typical of the finished compositions he made late in his career. It is carefully signed in the lower left, and the letters "fe" after his surname are an abbreviation of the Latin fecit, or "made by." Many of Murillo’s drawings were preparatory sketches for paintings. However, given his fame and his role as a teacher, it is possible that he made this drawing as an independent work, perhaps to be sold to a collector.

Artist

Bartolomé Estebán Murillo

Date

ca. 1665–70

Medium

Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over traces of leadpoint or soft black chalk

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Purchase, Clifford A. Furst Bequest, by exchange, and Harry G. Sperling Fund, 1995