Sevillian School; End of the XVII century.

Sevillian School; End of XVII century.
"Virgin and Child.
Oil on panel.
It has a frame from the early twentieth century.
Measurements: 45 x 35 cm; 84.5 x 66 cm (frame).
Following Murillo's models, the painter shows a Mary of candid features and a Child dressed with the cloth of purity. Both figures glow with an interior light, but which imprints a naturalistic rather than supernatural play. Avoiding the excesses of tenebrism, the monumental figure of the Virgin is modeled by a uniform and clear light, impregnated with half shadows. The pearly flesh tones of the faces harmonize with the vermilion of the Marian tunic and the intense white that envelops the small body of Jesus.
The iconography of the Virgin of the Rosary is directly related to the figure of Saint Dominic. Tradition, which began in the 15th century, tells that the Mother of God herself taught the saint to pray the rosary in 1208, telling him to propagate this devotion and to use it as a powerful weapon against the enemies of the faith. Appearing in the chapel where the saint was praying, holding a rosary in his hand, he taught him to recite it, promising that many sinners would be converted and obtain abundant graces. St. Dominic left there full of zeal, with the rosary in his hand. He did indeed preach it, and with great success, bringing many Albingenses back to the Catholic faith.