MURILLO, BARTOLOME ESTEBAN (1617-1682), Spanish painter, son of Gaspar Esteban Murillo and Maria Perez, was born at Seville in 1617, and baptized on Jan. 1, 1618. His parents (the father an artisan of a humble class), placed him under the painter Juan de Castillo, who was an imitator of the Italian School. Castillo's removal to Cadiz in 1639-164o threw his pupil upon his own resources. He was compelled to earn his bread by painting rough pictures for the "feria" or public fair of Seville. The religious daubs exposed at that mart were gen erally of as low an order as the prices paid for them. This rough and ready practice, partly for the market-place, partly for converts in Mexico and Peru, for whom Madonnas and popu lar saints were produced and shipped off by the dozen, doubtless increased Murillo's dexterity. To this early period belong the Madonna giving the rosary to St. Dominicus in the Archbishop's palace at Seville; a "Madonna" in the Seville Museum, dark in colour and "Fray Lauterio before the Madonna" in the Fitz william Museum, Cambridge. Murillo's works at this period are somewhat harsh in execution, but above the average reached by his contemporaries at Seville. Struck by the improvement which travel had wrought upon the style of his brother artist Pedro de Moya, Murillo in 1642 resolved to make a journey to Flanders or Italy. He placed his sister, who was dependent on him, under the care of some friends, and set out for Madrid. On reaching the capital he waited on Velazquez, his fellow-townsman—then at the summit of his fortune—and asked for introduction to friends in Rome. The master offered him lodging in his own house, and procured him admission to the royal galleries of the capital. Murillo here enjoyed the masterpieces of Italy and Flanders. The next two years were chiefly spent in copying from Ribera, Vandyck and Velazquez; and in 1644 Velazquez sub mitted some of Murillo's efforts to the king.
His patron urged him to go to Rome, but Murillo preferred to return to his sister and his native Seville. The friars of the
convent of San Francesco in Seville had about this time deter mined to adorn the walls of their small cloister. But the brother hood had no money, and found themselves incapable of employ ing an artist of name. Murillo offered his services, and covered the walls with eleven large pictures of remarkable power and beauty. Among them were representations of San Francisco, of San Diego, of Santa Clara and of San Gil. These pictures were executed in his earliest style, commonly called his frio or cold style. It is remarkable for solidity of workmanship, and in cer tain passages recalls the realism of Zurbaran and the young Velazquez.
In 1648 Murillo married a wealthy lady of rank, Dona Beatriz de Cabrera y Sotomayor, and his house soon became the favourite resort of artists and connoisseurs. Murillo now painted the well known "Flight into Egypt," and shortly afterwards developed his calido or warm style. His outlines became softer and his figures rounder, and his colouring gained in warmth and transparency. In 1655 he executed his two famous paintings of "San Leandro" and "San Isidoro" at the order of Don Juan Federigo, archdeacon of Carmona, which are now in the cathedral of Seville. These are two noble portraits, finished with great care and admirable effect. His next picture, the "Nativity of the Virgin," painted for the cathedral, is one of the most delightful specimens of his calido style. It was taken by Marshal Soult, and is now in the Louvre. In the following year (1656) he painted a vast picture of San Antonio de Padua, one of his most celebrated perform ances, which still hangs in the baptistery of the cathedral.
The year 1665 saw him engaged on two large semicircular pic tures, designed by his friend and patron Don Hustino Neve y Yevenes, to adorn the walls of the church of Santa Maria la Blanca. The first two (now in Madrid) were meant to illustrate the history of the Festival of Our Lady of the Snow, or the foundation of the Roman basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.