A follower of Bartolomé Estevab Murillo; 18th–19th centuries

A follower of BARTOLOMÉ ESTEBAN MURILLO (Seville, 1617 – Cádiz, 1682); 18th–19th century.
“Adoration of the Shepherds.”
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 92 x 117 cm; 111 x 125 cm (frame).
This work follows the model of the “Adoration of the Shepherds” painted by the Sevillian master between 1650 and 1655 and currently housed in the Prado Museum. Thus, we see a very similar composition in both works, with Mary and the Child on the left side, Joseph behind them, standing to the right of the Virgin, and a group of shepherds occupying the rest of the space, also toward the right. In Murillo’s painting, we see three shepherds: a man kneeling before the Child, a woman behind him, also kneeling, and a younger man standing, holding a lamb tied with a rope. This group of three figures is interpreted differently here: two men kneeling and a woman standing, holding a child rather than a lamb (although the animal also appears, in this case presented by the first of the shepherds). The figures’ positions, as well as their postures, are completely different from those in Murillo’s painting, as are the figures of the Holy Family, but the composition clearly derives from that created by the master. The setting is also markedly different, reflecting a more evolved Baroque style. Thus, while Murillo sets the scene in a dark interior, the artist of our work opens it up to a landscape on the right-hand side, revealing a scene of great depth and a twilight sky. A greater degree of classicism is also evident in the female figures, and the brushwork is less precise than the master’s in the rendering of the animals and other anecdotal details. In fact, the painter focuses here on the figures of the Child and Mary, magnificently rendered with clear and soft lighting, based on a rigorous drawing that reveals a classical influence.
Murillo’s influence was key to the development of the High Baroque not only in the Sevillian school but also in other centers. Considered by some to be the painter who best defines the Spanish Baroque, this master exerted a remarkable influence among his Sevillian contemporaries, and, after his death, his legacy can still be found in other schools even to this day, especially in the realm of religious art. In the 18th century, his artistic language and iconographic formulas were widely emulated and repeated, and during the Romantic period, numerous copies of his works were produced. However, it was during the 18th-century Baroque period that the significance of his influence—spread by his numerous disciples and followers—was most fully appreciated. In fact, during that century he was the best-known and most highly regarded Spanish painter outside of Spain—the only one for whom Sandrart included a biography in his *Academia picturae eruditae*, a work from the late 17th century.In the final decades of the 17th century, Murillo’s emotive, sweet, and delicate sentimentality prevailed in Seville over the more dramatic style of Valdés Leal, hence the predominance of his influence in the following century. However, as time went on, his influence became increasingly superficial, focusing on the imitation of models and compositions while setting aside his artistic language in favor of styles more characteristic of the new century.