Inmaculada Concepción (Zurbarán, Nueva York)

This early Immaculate Conception, around 1631, represents Zurbarán's approach to the subject during his most productive Sevillian period. The young Virgin is depicted according to the standard Spanish iconography derived from the Apocalyptic Woman of Revelation 12. Zurbarán's austere, powerfully meditative style—white-robed monks in intense chiaroscuro, saints presented against dark backgrounds with sculptural solidity—made him the ideal painter for the Counter-Reformation religious orders of Extremadura and Seville.

The Virgin is enveloped in a deep blue mantle over a white robe, standing on a crescent moon with cherubim below. Zurbarán's early treatment shows the sharp, sculptural modeling that characterized his breakthrough years in Seville.