The Christ Child as the Good Shepherd Gm-00046301

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (Spanish, 1617–1682) Bartolomé Esteban Murillo barely suggested the Christ Child's head, which seems almost to emerge from a void determined by his hair and clothing, and jotted in only the barest of settings, a slightly scribbly ground. This bold drafting style, expressed in extremely loose, staccato penstrokes, gives energetic freedom to a standard religious subject. In contrast to the sentimentality and usually smooth brushwork of his paintings, Murillo's drawings display fluidity and spontaneity.

Known and admired for his idealized portrayals of children, Murillo often drew and painted scenes of the infancy of Christ, here identified by a shepherd's staff. This attribute also identifies the source of the subject, a passage in the Gospel of Saint John: "I am the good shepherd who gives his life for his sheep."

Murillo drew this sketch on the back of a letter; the verso bears extensive writing in brown ink.

High Quality Wood Framed Print using museum quality paper and archival inks with a white border or with cut mat for a contemporary look. Comes with Acrylite glazing and hanging hardware. These are Made in USA or Europe depending upon your location.

Stretched Canvas is stretched over 1.25" thick pine bars and printed on heavy cotton poly matte finish canvas. Comes with mounting brackets. These are Made in USA or Europe depending upon your location.

Giclee Prints are printed on 260gsm satin finish using the finest archival inks. Each print carries a white border around the perimeter. The listed size refers to the overall paper dimensions. The image is printed proportionally within this paper size and includes a small white border. These are Made in USA or Europe depending upon your location.

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Artwork in this collection is from The J. Paul Getty Museum. Reproduction rights are reserved by the copyright owner and used under license by Archivea.