Childhood of the Virgin

Zurbarán painted this Childhood of the Virgin around 1658 during his late period in Madrid, where he had moved from Seville seeking new patronage. The subject of the young Virgin Mary in prayer or domestic activities was promoted by Counter-Reformation theology to encourage devotion to Mary's early life. Zurbarán had previously created masterful versions of this subject, and this late work, now in the Hermitage, shows his evolving style under the influence of Murillo's softer manner.

The intimate devotional image centers on the youthful figure of the Virgin, rendered with Zurbarán's characteristic clarity of form softened by the more atmospheric technique of his later years. Warm, gentle lighting replaces the sharp tenebrism of his earlier Sevillian works.