Sebastian Gomez Discovered by His Master Murillo, At Work, from "Illustrated London News"

Various artists/makers

Not on view

We are here invited to share the surprise of the Spanish seventeenth-century painter Murillo, as he discovers the artistic talent of a young enslaved mulatto in his household. Hans Christian Anderson recounted Gómez’s story in 1838 in “The Unknown Painter,” likely inspiring Wehnert’s image. Born in London, to German parents, the artist was educated at Göttingen University then trained in Paris and was interested in subjects concerned with both history and art. Mason engraved Wehnert's watercolor for the “Illustrated London News,” the world’s first weekly news magazine, founded in 1842.

Sebastian Gomez Discovered by His Master Murillo, At Work, from "Illustrated London News", Walter George Mason (British, Holloway, Middlesex 1820–1866 Sydney, Australia), Wood engraving

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