On-line gallery
- Reference number
- P00978
- Author
- Murillo, Bartolomé Esteban (Spanish)
- Title
- The Virgin Appears to Saint Bernard
- Chronology
- Ca. 1660
- Technique
- Support
- Measures
- 311 cm x 249 cm
- School
- Theme
- Shown
- Yes
- Entrance
- COLECCION REAL
- Procedence
- Royal Collection
The Virgin appears miraculously to
Saint Bernard to offer him her milk
as a reward for his praises and
defense. The Saint is surprised
while studying and falls to his
knees. His desk and bookshelves
appear behind him and other books,
and an abbot's staff, lie on the
floor.
The subject and size of this work
suggest that it was probably an
altar painting made for a
Cistercian convent. Yet, there is
no known documentation until it
appeared in the collection of Queen
Isabel Farnesio in 1745.
Throughout his career, Murillo
alternated paintings of single
figures with large works featuring
more ambitious compositions. This
work includes figures and elements
which the artist was fond of
painting, including the Virgin with
Child, cherubs, the luminous
celestial opening of the sky, and
the magnificent still-life details,
represented here by flowers and
books.
Location on the map
