The Nativity

Bartolomé Estebán Murillo Spanish

Not on view

One of the best known of all Spanish artists, Murillo spent most of his life in Seville, where he established an important drawing school. Many sheets from his hand have survived. This drawing is typical of the finished compositions he made late in his career. It is carefully signed in the lower left, and the letters "fe" after his surname are an abbreviation of the Latin fecit, or "made by." Many of Murillo’s drawings were preparatory sketches for paintings. However, given his fame and his role as a teacher, it is possible that he made this drawing as an independent work, perhaps to be sold to a collector.

The Nativity, Bartolomé Estebán Murillo (Spanish, Seville 1617–1682 Seville), Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over traces of leadpoint or soft black chalk

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

The Nativity, Bartolomé Estebán Murillo (Spanish, Seville 1617–1682 Seville), Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over traces of leadpoint or soft black chalk
The Nativity, Bartolomé Estebán Murillo (Spanish, Seville 1617–1682 Seville), Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over traces of leadpoint or soft black chalk
The Nativity, Bartolomé Estebán Murillo (Spanish, Seville 1617–1682 Seville), Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over traces of leadpoint or soft black chalk

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.