BARTOLOME ESTEBAN MURILLO Seville (1618 / 1682) "Christ on

Oil on panel. Silvered corner pieces with scroll decoration. Provenance: Tabernacle of the main altar of the Capuchin convent church, Seville. Bibliography: HEREZA, P., 2019, pp. 249-250, notes 227-229, catalogue number: [C-81] This work has an export permit, issued on February 17, 2026. One of the most important series of works created by Murillo is the one he carried out in the church of the Capuchin convent in Seville. Between 1665 and 1669, he painted some of his most outstanding works for this building, such as the large canvas of the Jubilee of the Porziuncola, which presided over the main altarpiece, and the celebrated Virgin of the Napkin, one of his best-known Marian images. From the moment of its creation, this group of paintings received high praise from art critics for its exceptional artistic quality and for the profound theological knowledge the artist demonstrated in interpreting religious events during his mature period. We know that the present work comes from the same group, thanks to a detailed study by Pablo Hereza, who identified this painting with the Murillo cross that was located in the tabernacle of the main altar. Cean Bermudez was the first to provide details about this work, indicating that the lower part of the main altarpiece contained several works by the Sevillian master, such as the aforementioned Virgin of the Napkin, a Holy Face, and "the crucifix painted on the cross of the altar table." As the Murillo specialist indicated in his study, the direct source for this painting is the drawing preserved in the Ford collection. With this meticulously detailed and delicately rendered design, Murillo conceived an ideal image perfectly suited to devotional meditation, serving as a basis for both the master and his collaborators when addressing this iconographic theme. Christ is depicted lifeless on the cross, his body bearing the blood from the lance wound in his side. However, his facial expression is serene, Murillo rejecting any kind of anguished expression that might detract from the Eucharistic representation, the public devotional function, and the intimate prayer. The Sevillian master displays a masterful technique in which, through light and subtle brushstrokes that mold the light and shadow, he presents a detailed study of Christ's anatomy, perfectly adapting it to the cruciform space of the support. With the same ease he resolves other elements such as the loincloth or the beautiful face of Jesus, showing him with closed eyes and slightly open mouth, creating a serene and undramatic image of the Crucified Christ. Other examples are known in which Murillo addressed this typology, although this work, being intended for the main altarpiece,It surpasses all known examples in size and quality of execution. He also painted other crosses on the side altars, on the pilasters of the church, and also in the cells of some friars. In total, there are four types, each serving a different purpose, but all highly valued by collectors, as evidenced by the high prices they commanded from the time they were painted. Measurements: 56 x 40 cm / 45.6 x 29.2 cm (excluding the points)