In this personification of the Virgin Mary as the Immaculate Conception, the protagonist, although still very youthful, is not as childlike as those of Zurbarán and Velázquez and lacks the descriptive and symbolic elements commonly found in earlier, undoubtedly archaic versions. Allusions to the litanies are omitted and artist reduces the image to the bare essentials: the young and splendorous virginal woman, the most pure in devotional terminology, who stands on the crescent and rises to heaven surrounded by child angels, immersed in an atmosphere of clouds and resplendent light. In this work, in which the theme of the Conception is merged with that of her Assumption, the message is fully direct and therefore very efficient: it is the purest expression of the glory of the Virgin. Murillo succeeded in finding not only the manner of representing the Immaculate Conception that was best adapted to the expectations of Baroque society but also the most perfect Marian image for which people hoped, making her a symbol that has been absolutely valid for Christianity since then to this day. It should not be forgotten that when Murillo started painting his marvellous Immaculate Conception images, a cult had already been gaining strength in Spain for a century and a half and went on to attain an extraordinary vigour and ended up becoming one of the main features of the Spanish and Christian collective identity. This is the cult of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, mother of God, whose devoted supporters argued that her parents Saint Joaquim and Saint Anne conceived their Daughter without the physical contact that is required to engender other mortals. It is a genuinely local theme in that Spain was the main kingdom to defend the mystery and fought most determinedly to persuade popes and the Church in general to convert it into a dogma of faith. For two centuries it was a peculiar sort of "dogma of private usage" of Spaniards, who had to swear an oath of their faith in the Immaculate Conception in order to belong to certain professional or municipal corporations. It was not established as a dogma in the rest of the Catholic world until the 19th century, by Pope Pius IX (185). Two themes explain the matchless popularity enjoyed by the Immaculate Conception during the 17th century: collective pride and Marian devotion. The result was an extraordinary surge of activity aimed at praising and glorifying the Conception in all spheres of literary and artistic creation. Poets and playwrights, as well as sculptors and painters, precious metalsmiths and engravers disseminated the image of the Immaculate Conception. An indication of the popularity of this cult is the numerous public feasts held in her honour in which the local population were involved as spectators or participants. In these celebrations all forms of expression from drama and poetry to painting and architecture to music, temporary installations and ceremonial combined to spread a unique message of exaltation of the Immaculate Conception. Painters had long striven to achieve a representation of the Immaculate Conception which expressed the full force of the popular fervour that the mystery aroused. However, only one succeeded in finding a formula for expressing in a single image all the expectations, hopes and yearnings of that society which had converted the Immaculate Conception into an identifying feature in which it recognised what it considered its best qualities. That painter, who is universally acclaimed for his skill, was Murillo, who produced some 20 versions of the theme during his lifetime, this one being one of the most striking and moving. The origin of this painting is completely unknown. It is believed to have been purchased in Seville by Charles III, who would have incorporated it into the Royal Collections (Text drawn from Luna, J. J.: From Titian to Goya. Great Masters of the Museo del Prado, National Art Museum of China-Shanghai Museum, 2007, pp. 358-359).