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
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,2010, 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,1989, 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.