A follower of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

A follower of BARTOLOMÉ ESTEBAN MURILLO (Seville, 1617–1682)
“Saint Anthony of Padua.”
Oil on canvas. Relined.
The polychrome paint shows flaws and losses. With patches on the back.
Measurements: 125 x 90 cm; 140 x 103 cm (frame).
This work is a 19th-century copy inspired by the famous composition by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, housed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Seville (inv. CE0128P). The enduring popularity of this motif throughout the 19th century highlights the extraordinary influence that Murillo’s painting exerted on later generations, making him one of the most admired and copied Spanish artists both in Spain and throughout the rest of Europe.
The work depicts one of the most popular episodes in Franciscan iconography: the apparition of the Infant Jesus to Saint Anthony of Padua during one of his moments of prayer and study. Kneeling with profound humility, the saint gazes in ecstasy at the vision of the Child, who appears seated on an open book—a symbol of divine wisdom and of preaching inspired by the Holy Scriptures. The scene is completed by a halo of glory in which cherubs and angels emerge from luminous clouds, reinforcing the supernatural nature of the event.
The composition faithfully reflects the style developed by Murillo in the second half of the 17th century, characterized by a serene and deeply human spirituality. In contrast to the drama of other Baroque masters, the Sevillian painter knew how to imbue his religious scenes with an atmosphere of tenderness and contemplation, where light becomes a vehicle for the mystical experience. This sensibility, combined with the gentleness of the expressions and the compositional balance, explains the widespread popularity of his models during the 19th century, especially among collectors and workshops dedicated to producing copies intended for both private and devotional use.
From a stylistic perspective, the painting is part of the nineteenth-century academic tradition, which sought to preserve the great masterpieces of the Spanish Golden Age through faithful and respectful execution. The soft gradation of light, the delicate modeling of the figures, and the harmonious spatial organization evoke the most recognizable qualities of Murillo’s art, while also reflecting the 19th-century’s renewed interest in recovering and disseminating the legacy of the great national masters.