Loincloths, Fabrics and Cherubic Clouds
Francisco de Zurbarán, “The Crucifixion” (1627). Art Institute of Chicago. Photo: Birgitta Huse
“Zurbaráns’ paintings of saints surprise with unexpected details such as a tooth gripped by pincers. he paintings on show prove that Zurbarán interwove his general knowledge with his love to detail. The included everyday objects into his depictions of religious motifs.”
Loincloths, Fabrics and Cherubic Clouds
Francisco de Zurbarán at The National Gallery
★★★★★
WRITTEN BY DR. BIRGITTA HUSE, 10.08.2026
Jesus Christ on the cross is not just impressive due to large depictions and the motif’s importance in a religious context. His white loincloth sparkles on the dark background of the painting with the title “The Crucifixion” (1627). The cloth stands out for being presented in an extraordinarily detailed and attractive way. Jesus’ presence somehow feels real. The feeling is more like one going along with a sculpture than a painting – an impression which was already described by an 18th-century writer relating to the painting that was visible to visitors through a grill in the dimly lit sacristy of the Dominican monastery San Pablo el Real in Seville. With this artwork in the first exhibition room we are drawn into whatever will follow.
Francisco de Zurbarán (1598 – 1664) new how to impress with his paintings. He was gifted with the capability to skilfully compose and paint in a way which was not only spellbinding for his contemporaries of the 17th century but which fascinates until today. Zurbarán is considered one of the most important Spanish Baroque painters alongside Diego Velázquez (baptised 1599 – 1660), who is famous for his portraits of the Spanish Royal family, and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617 – 1682), who is well known for his cycle of paintings for the convent of San Francisco, the cathedral and the Church of the Caridad in Seville.
Detail of Francisco de Zurbarán “The Crucified Christ” (1635). Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla. Photo: Birgitta Huse
Detail of Francisco de Zurbarán “The Crucifixion” (1627). Art Institute of Chicago. Photo: Birgitta Huse
Zurbarán’s knowledge, his eye for detail and his ability to paint variations of the same object or theme can be witnessed throughout the show. An example for skilful variation are the varied presentations of Jesus’ loincloth in the exhibition. Zurbarán made the effort to paint it draped differently in each painting. An example for the artist’s knowledge and eye for detail is to be seen in “The Circumcision” (1639) which is a painting of the Jewish ritual. The depiction of the instrument used captivates by its prescision.
Zurbaráns’ paintings of saints surprise with unexpected details such as a tooth gripped by pincers. This tooth in the painting with the title “Saint Apollonia” (1635-40) caused the interest of a younger visitor of around ten years of age. During my short conversation with the parents, I learned that their daughter had so far expressed the opinion that the exhibition would rather be for adults than for her. In the show which is organised by the National Gallery, London, the Musée du Louvre, Paris and the Art Institute of Chicago, Zurbarán offers a whole range of interesting details for a varied audience. It is not only a tooth that serves as point of reference for children. Birds and a belt with knots for example have the power to potentially awaken childrens’ curiosity for Baroque paintings in general. Following such an experience of discovery children and adults alike have a closer look at the paintings in search of some interesting detail. The paintings on show prove that Zurbarán interwove his general knowledge with his love to detail. He included everyday objects into his depictions of religious motifs and thus made these motifs much more accessible for everyone.
Francisco de Zurbarán, “Saint Apollonia” (about 1635-40). Musée du Louvre, Paris. Photo Birgitta Huse
Zurbarán’s paintings of fabrics are extraordinary. From luxurious multicoloured court attire in the painting “Saint Casilda” (about 1635) for example to unicoloured simple woollen cloth in his paintings of Franz of Assisi – Zurbarán achieved to depict the appearance of the material in an astonishing way. Without touching the fabric we can capture their different sensitive quality with our eyes and we are enabled to even sense the fabric’s weight. Zurbarán repeatedly puts fabric centre stage. In the painting of “Saint Apollonia” (about 1635-40) as a shepherdess, for example, the saint’s woollen and woven saddle bag stands out from the rest of the painting. The bright and illuminated bag is positioned in the centre of the artwork and attracts attention before looking at other things in the painting. Zurbarán’s painting of fabric convince through his putting a spot light on very different materials. He dedicated as much care to woollen bags as he did on luxurious dress.
It is very likely that Zurbarán was exposed to all kind of fabrics from an early age as his father Luis Zurbarán was a successful merchant and haberdasher. Another important part of the story is touched upon in the exhibition. Seville was not only the biggest city in Spain in terms of inhabitants at Zurbarán’s time. Seville was one of the most important cultural centres in Spain, it was a crucial centre of trade, textile trade included, and very rich. The city was a gateway for products arriving from Spanish America and for European products leaving towards the “New World”. Zurbarán lived in an international and wealthy environment and certainly profited from an exposure to many different fabrics and textiles. For what is known his family was directly involved in this transcontinental trade also due to family members who had moved to Peru earlier on. Zurbarán’s and other painters’ religious paintings found their way to newly built Latin American Churches in Mexico, Argentine and Peru. There these paintings played an important role within missionary work as well as within already existing catholic Spanish communities.
The exhibition includes Francisco de Zurbarán’s only signed and dated still life “Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Rose” (1633) as well as several still lives painted by his son Juan de Zurbarán (1620 – 1649) who tragically died during a pest in Seville. In Seville father and son shared exquisite studio props. The painting of a Chinese porcelain bowl in “Still Life of Lemons in a Wicker Basket” (about 1643-9) by Juan de Zurbarán and the painting “Still Life with Four Vessels” (about 1650) by Francisco de Zurbarán are proof of the Zurbaráns’ compositional and painting skills and their views. “Still Life with Four Vessels” represents a silver-gilt cup together with a red búcaro de Indias, from Portugal or the Americas, and two white ceramic pitchers, called alcarrazas. The origin of the búcaro de Indias is unclear. The Museo del Prado explains its origin to probably be in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, perhaps Tonalá in today’s Mexican State of Jalisco. It is not only these vessels which cause awe. The depiction of lemons and apples, each of which with an individual appearance, sparks contemplation.
Detail of Francisco de Zurbarán, “Still Life with Four Vessels” (about 1650). Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona. Photo: Birgitta Huse
Slow looking is especially rewarding in this exhibition, not only in relation to the still lives shown. In “The Immaculate Conception with Saints Joachim and Anne” (about 1638-9) cherubic heads are depicted, visible at first glance, but there are many more heads to be discovered. The clouds which surround the Immaculate Virgin Mary are made of heads – she is actually floating in them. It is easy to imagine the impressive effect of big paintings like this one with a framed size of 276.30 x 199.20 x 8.00 cm when they were looked at in their original environments, mostly churches and convents.
Detail of Francisco de Zurbarán, “The Immaculate Conception with Saints Joachim and Anne” (about 1638-9). National Galleries of Scotland. Photo: Birgitta Huse
Zurbarán’s ability to work for certain contexts of use is especially obvious in his “The Immaculate Conception with Two Boys Praying” (1632). The painting includes two boys on their knees and is thus “suggesting this may have been an altarpiece for an educational institution” it says in the exhibition. We can read the boys’ prayers in speech bubbles.
The end of the exhibition leaves us with works from Zurbarán’s different creative periods. His “Agnus Dei” (about 1635 – 1640) fascinates with a sheep positioned at the table edge. Its feet, the horns and the sheepskin with its harmony of locks of hair are depicted in an admirably realistic way. Zurbaran painted “The Veil of Veronica” (1658) in an impressive way only hinting at facial features of Jesus. The veil is believed to have been used by a woman named Veronica for wiping Jesus’ face while carrying the cross resulting in his image being imprinted on the cloth.
Especially valuable is the presentation of three paintings of the Virgin Mary. The joint hanging of “The Family of the Virgin” (about 1630), “The Young Virgin” (about 1632-3) and “Christ and the Virgin in the House at Nazareth” (about 1640) invites to directly compare and analyse. Painted in different years the paintings reveal changes from one painting to the next not only in Mary’s appearance but also in the accompanying accessories. The amount and size of the depicted flowers for instance vary. Mary’s embroidery work develops from first stitches as a child into an elaborate design when she is presented a bit older in the second painting. In “Christ and the Virgin in the House at Nazareth“ (about 1640) she is finallyshown as an adult woman together with Jesus without any finished embroidery work to be seen. Instead her face seems to express her preoccupations for her son.
With the last painting in the exhibition we come full circle – again we see painted Jesus on the cross. “The Crucified Christ with a Painter” (about 1650) is a fascinating highlight. The explanation for this painting says that there would be no precedent in Western art for a painter witnessing the Crucifixion. Zurbarán depicts Saint Luke, the patron saint of painters, standing at Christ’s feet with brushes and palette in his hands. For me this artwork speaks about a deep religiousness which often emerges together with ageing and old age towards the end of a life. In the painting Saint Luke and Jesus seem to communicate with their faces turned toward each other. The painting was to be Zurbarán’s last before he passed way on 27th August 1664 in Madrid.
The exhibition at the National Gallery offers a perfectly accessible tour through Zurbarán’s fascinating body of work without having to travel to Madrid’s Prado and other places. The curators of the London exhibition, Francesca Whitlum-Cooper and Daniel Sobrino Ralston with Imogen Tedbury, in collaboration with Charlotte Chastel-Rousseau (Musée du Louvre) and Rebecca Long (Art Institute of Chicago), conclusively demonstrate the meaning and importance of Zurbarán as one of the most important Spanish Baroque painters. The way of the presentation inspires a lasting attention to Zurbarán’s paintings and to Spanish (Baroque) art more generally. Someone who might have not been convinced of an own interest in paintings which depict Jesus, various saints and related religious motifs might change her/his mind during the exhibition visit. Last but not least, the show is definitely a highlight for Zurbarán aficionados and Baroque art lovers. A sometimes underestimated but very valuable plus are the large-scale seating in and outside of the exhibition and the large-print labels available during the visit. The exhibition catalogue with high quality reproductions with many fascinating details keeps the Zurbarán appetite going in the aftermath of the exhibition visit.
Zurbarán is on view until 23th August 2026, National Gallery, London. Also it will be shown at The Musée du Louvre 7th October 2026 – 25th January 2027 and at the Art Institute of Chicago from 28th February 2027 – 20th June 2027.