Vision of Unclean Animals

This painting of the Vision of Unclean Animals, around 1650, depicts the biblical vision from Acts in which Peter sees a sheet lowered from heaven containing all manner of animals. The subject relates to the extension of divine grace beyond the Jewish people to the Gentiles. 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 visionary subject is treated with Zurbarán's characteristic combination of naturalistic detail and supernatural drama. The animals are rendered with the still-life precision he applied to all material objects.