Antonio María Esquivel´s work provides, undoubtedly, the best example of the unique symbiosis achieved in Spanish religious painting from the romantic period, combining the powerful tradition of Andalusian Baroque with the stylistic refinement of orthodox classicism defended by academic purists. Esquivel spent much of his career producing a noteworthy number of religious paintings, both for private devotions and, above all, to achieve an element of prestige and renown in the public competitions to which he submitted these paintings. He made himself the foremost representative of this genre in Spanish romantic painting. This canvas was executed by Esquivel only one year before his death at the age of 51, with the intention of presenting it in the first National Exhibition of Fine Arts held in Spain in 1856. There was, it would seem, a clear intention on Esquivel´s part to make this painting a final summation of his prolific trajectory as a painter of religious subjects, and to provide the other artists who took part in the contest, along with critics and visiting public, with a virtuosic display of his most refined style. Indeed, the sensibility that identifies Esquivel with the Seville school and as Murillo´s direct heir -whose religious oeuvre provided the style of choice for devout clientele continuously until the nineteenth century - emerges in this painting both in the iconography as well as in the use of a rich, warm palette, particularly eloquent in the interpretation of the Virgin´s clothing and of the glory in the background, which is filled with little angels. Esquivel also reveals the profound imprint of his academic training in the most emblematic archetypes of classical statuary - more so than any other contemporary Spanish painter. Thus, in this case, he interprets the figure of the Mother of Christ with the monumental severity of the seated Roman goddess Ceres: delicately sculpting the small folds in her robes, which reveal her anatomy, as in the most widely disseminated sculptural models of the pagan goddess. The Virgin´s solemn, imposing presence is underscored by the serene lack of expression on her face, whose features reflect the strictest classical canons, as do details such as the sandals, the stone bench upon which the Christ Child stands and the statuesque frontality with which even the Child´s anatomy is represented. With the greatest of care, Esquivel offers a distillation of the refined technique he had achieved in those years. He has made the painting a veritable exercise in pure academic skill through the treatment of volume of the undulating draperies, the subtle gradation of the colours -especially refined in the Child´s white loincloth or the blue mantle that covers His mother´s legs- and the use of chiaroscuro with a particularly delicate execution, something that was particulary challenging in the representation of hands and faces. Esquivel´s keen mastery is perceptible in the illumination of the figures, such as the highlight in the shadow of the Virgin´s chin or the space between her neck and the mantle that covers her head. The painting is preserved in its original frame, designed by the artist himself and found to this day on a great number of his works (Díez, J. L.: Portrait of Spain. Masterpieces from the Prado, Queensland Art Gallery-Art Exhibitions Australia, 2012, p. 251).