Saint Rufina

This 1647 Saint Rufina in the Smolensk Art Gallery depicts one of two sister saints of Seville—Rufina and Justa—who were potters martyred under Diocletian. As patron saints of Seville, their images were especially important to Zurbarán's primary art market. 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 young saint is depicted with a ceramic vessel, her attribute as a potter, and the Giralda tower of Seville. The rich costume follows Zurbarán's practice of depicting female saints in contemporary Spanish dress.