On-line gallery
- Reference number
- P00979
- Author
- Murillo, Bartolomé Esteban (Spanish)
- Title
- The Virgin Descending to Award Saint Ildefons
- Chronology
- Ca. 1660
- Technique
- Support
- Measures
- 309 cm x 259 cm
- School
- Theme
- Shown
- Yes
- Entrance
- COLECCION REAL
- Procedence
- Royal Collection
This miraculous scene from the life
of Saint Ildefons portrays the
moment when the Virgin descended
from Heaven to give him a chasuble
as a prize for his praises. The
choice of this subject corresponds
to the Counterreformation policy
carried out in Spain, where
devotion to Mary was one of its
fundamental pillars.
The composition is divided into an
upper, divine world and a lower,
earthly one. The two parts are
lined by the chasuble and by the
characters' gestures and gazes. The
pictorial technique is
characterized by an exceptional
degree of detail in the
representation of the textiles and
by the introduction of different
characters, such as the veiled old
woman, who is related to the sacred
legend; and the angels.
This painting was probably paired
with The Virgin Appears to Saint
Bernard (P978).
The work is first listed in the
1746 inventory of Isabel de
Farnesio's collection at the La
Granja Palace, and in 1794 at the
Royal Palace, both in Madrid.
Location on the map
