FEMALE NARRATOR:
The Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán created The Birth of the Virgin in 1627, as part of a cycle of eight paintings dedicated to the life of St. Joseph, Mary’s future husband, and the Virgin.
The painting’s bright, luminous colors make a powerful impression. The white of St. Anne’s nightgown and the pale yellow of her headdress, echoed in the shawls and garments of her attendants, are subtle highlights in a sea of stronger colors—scarlet red, smoky blue, yellow, green, ochre, and grey.
The steep perspective and sweeping, circular composition are equally remarkable. Zurbarán probably adapted them from a woodcut by the northern master, Albrecht Dürer. On the right stands the woman who commissioned the canvas for a monastery near Seville. She holds a basket of eggs, symbolizing hope and resurrection. The eggs may also allude to a more personal prayer—her desire to bear children of her own. She looks directly out at us, eliciting our spiritual support. The crisp folds of her voluminous dress are characteristic of Zurbarán’s style.
An X-ray of the canvas has shown that the donor originally appeared between the two nursemaids in the foreground, where the small basket now stands. Zurbarán later changed his mind and presented her on the right, integrating her more successfully into the sweep of the composition.
The Birth of the Virgin
c. 1627
Francisco de Zurbarán (Spanish, 1598-1664)
On View
Just as striking as Zurbarán's color scheme are his rich, descriptive treatment of the drapery, and the solid masses of his figures. He has arranged the composition in an airy, oval sweep to reveal the subtle play of light and shade. The woman standing at the right in contemporary costume is believed to be a portrait of the donor because she gazes directly toward the spectator. The eggs in her basket allude to the purity of the Virgin and to the Resurrection.
Details
- Artist Name: Francisco de Zurbarán (Spanish, 1598-1664)
- Title: The Birth of the Virgin
- Date: c. 1627
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 55-1/2 x 42-3/4 in. (141 x 108.6 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1970.13.P
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
Church of the Shod Trinitarians, Seville (one of eight scenes from the Life of the Virgin, once forming a side altar at the epistle side).
Marquis of Salamanca;; in Paris c.1880).
Count Theodore van Berckheim, Paris, by 1925.
Count Alessandro Contini-Bonacossi, Florence; by 1930.
Heirs of the Contini-Bonacossi Estate.
[E.V. Thaw and Co., Inc., New York].
The Norton Simon Foundation.
Marquis of Salamanca;; in Paris c.1880).
Count Theodore van Berckheim, Paris, by 1925.
Count Alessandro Contini-Bonacossi, Florence; by 1930.
Heirs of the Contini-Bonacossi Estate.
[E.V. Thaw and Co., Inc., New York].
The Norton Simon Foundation.
Exposition d'art ancien Espagnol, organisée par la "Demeure Historique"
- Paris, Galerie Jean Charpentier, 1925-06-06 to 1925-07-06
Janés, C., Los Genios de la Pintura Española: Zurbaran, no. 1 pp. 7, 84
Cherry, P., The Burlington Magazine, pp. 627-628
Soria, M., Art Bulletin, p. 74
Caturla, M. L.; and O. Delenda, Francisco de Zurbaran, no. 18 pp. 22, 28
Young, Eric, The Connoisseur, fig. 5 p. 182
Soria, M., The Paintings of Zurbaran, no. 10, pl. 4 pp. 9, 30, 32, 135
Ponz, A., Viaje de España, vol. 19 pp. 5-6
Longhi, Roberto; and August L. Meyer, Gli Antichi Pittori Spagnoli della collezione Contini Bonacossi, no. 63, pls. LXI, LXII
Guinard, Paul, Zurbarán et les peintres espagnols de la vie monastique, no. 20 p. 211
Augustin Céan-Bermudez, Juan, Diccionario historico de los mas ilustres profesores de las Bellas Artes en España, p. 49
Guinard, Paul, Archivo Espagñol de Arte, pp. 189, 191
Frati, T.; and M. Gregori, L'opera completa di Zurbaran, no. 30, pl. XIV p. 87
Lopez-Martinez, C., Retablos y esculturas de traza sevillana, pp. 6-8
Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, cat. 738 p. 333
Gállego, J.; and J. Gudiol, Zurbaran, no. 32, fig. 44 pp. 53, 55-56, 67, 77
Mayer, August, Apollo, pp. 3, 7
Masterpieces from the Norton Simon Museum, p. 49
Young, E., Apollo, p. 435
Mayer, August, Pantheon, pp. 291, 296
Cherry, P., The Burlington Magazine, pp. 627-628
Soria, M., Art Bulletin, p. 74
Caturla, M. L.; and O. Delenda, Francisco de Zurbaran, no. 18 pp. 22, 28
Young, Eric, The Connoisseur, fig. 5 p. 182
Soria, M., The Paintings of Zurbaran, no. 10, pl. 4 pp. 9, 30, 32, 135
Ponz, A., Viaje de España, vol. 19 pp. 5-6
Longhi, Roberto; and August L. Meyer, Gli Antichi Pittori Spagnoli della collezione Contini Bonacossi, no. 63, pls. LXI, LXII
Guinard, Paul, Zurbarán et les peintres espagnols de la vie monastique, no. 20 p. 211
Augustin Céan-Bermudez, Juan, Diccionario historico de los mas ilustres profesores de las Bellas Artes en España, p. 49
Guinard, Paul, Archivo Espagñol de Arte, pp. 189, 191
Frati, T.; and M. Gregori, L'opera completa di Zurbaran, no. 30, pl. XIV p. 87
Lopez-Martinez, C., Retablos y esculturas de traza sevillana, pp. 6-8
Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, cat. 738 p. 333
Gállego, J.; and J. Gudiol, Zurbaran, no. 32, fig. 44 pp. 53, 55-56, 67, 77
Mayer, August, Apollo, pp. 3, 7
Masterpieces from the Norton Simon Museum, p. 49
Young, E., Apollo, p. 435
Mayer, August, Pantheon, pp. 291, 296
Image reproduction permission may be granted for scholarly or arts related commercial use. All image requests, regardless of their intended purpose, should be submitted via the reproduction request form.
Images may be protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights. Additional permission may be required.
Approved requests for the reproduction of an image will receive a contract detailing all fees and conditions of use of the image. Upon receipt of both the signed contract and full payment, the Office of Rights and Reproductions will provide the image. A complimentary copy of the published material must be provided to the Norton Simon Museum.