They belong to the first productions of the master, and denote the commencement of Murillo's third and last style, known as the vaporoso or vapoury. It should be noted, however, that the three styles are not strictly separable into date-periods. In the vaporoso method the well-marked outlines and careful drawing of his former styles disappear, the outlines are lost in the misty blending of the light and shade. The remaining pieces executed for this small church were a "Virgin of the Conception" and an "Allegory of Faith." Soult laid his hands on these also, and the former is now in the Louvre, the latter with Mr. Lyne Stephens, Lynford Hall, Norfolk.
In 1658 Murillo consummated a task which had hitherto baffled all the artists of Spain, and even royalty itself. This was the establishing of a public academy of art. By superior tact he overcame the vanity of Valdes Leal and the presumption of the younger Herrera, and secured their co-operation. The Academy of Seville was accordingly opened for the first time in January 166o, and Murillo and the second Herrera were chosen presidents. Passing over some half-length pictures of saints and a dark haired Madonna, painted in 1668 for the chapter-room of the cathedral of his native city, we enter upon the most splendid period of Murillo's career. In 1661 Don Miguel Mafiara Vicentelo de Leca resolved to raise money for the restoration of the dilapi dated Hospital de la Caridad. Maliara commissioned Murillo to paint eleven pictures for this edifice of San Jorge.
Three of these pieces represented the "Annunciation," the "Infant Saviour," and the "Infant St. John"; the remaining eight are considered Murillo's masterpieces. They consist of "Moses striking the Rock," the "Return of the Prodigal" (now at Staf ford House), "Abraham receiving the Three Angels" (also at Stafford House) and "The Charity of San Juan de Dios," the "Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes," "Our Lord healing the Para lytic" (now at Orwell Park), "St. Peter released from Prison by the Angel" (now at the Hermitage, Leningrad) and "St. Eliza beth of Hungary." These works occupied the artist four years, and in 1674 he received for his eight great pictures 78,115 reals. The "Moses," the "Loaves and Fishes," the "San Juan," and the three subjects which we have named first, are still at Seville, the French carried off the rest, but the "St. Elizabeth" is now back in Spain. For compass and vigour the "Moses" stands first ; but the "Prodigal's Return" and the "St. Elizabeth" were considered by Bermudez the most perfect of all as works of art. The front of this famous hospital was also indebted to the genius of Murillo; five large designs in blue glazed tiles were executed from his drawings.
He had scarcely completed the undertakings for this edifice when his favourite Franciscans again solicited his aid. He ac cordingly executed 18 paintings for the humble little church known as the Convent de los Capuchinos. Most of these Capuchin pictures are preserved in the Museum of Seville; the "Charity of St. Thomas of Villanueva" is reckoned the best. Murillo himself was wont to call it "su lienzo" (his own picture). One of this series "The Young St. Thomas of Villanueva distributing his Garments" is now in the Cincinnati Museum ; and the altar piece representing "The Rose of St. Francis" is at the Cologne Mu seum. Another piece of extraordinary merit, which once hung
in this church, is the "Virgin of the Napkin," believed to have been painted on a "servilleta" and presented to the cook of the Capuchin brotherhood as a memorial of the artist's pencil. In 1678 his friend the canon Justino again employed him to paint three pieces for the Hospital de los Venerables; the "Mystery of the Immaculate Conception" (taken by Marshal Soult and now in the Louvre), "St. Peter Weeping," and the "Blessed Virgin." As a mark of esteem Murillo next painted a full-length portrait of the canon (now with Lord Lansdowne) ; the spaniel at the feet of the priest has been known to call forth a snarl from .a living dog. His portraits generally, though few, are of great beauty. One of the finest is the full-length portrait of his son now with the Duke of Alva at Madrid. The portrait of King Ferdinand the Saint is in the Elkins Collection, New York.
Towards the close of his life Murillo executed a series of pic tures illustrative of the life of "the glorious doctor" for the Augustinian convent at Seville. Mounting a scaffolding one day at Cadiz (in 1681) to execute the higher parts of a large picture of the "Espousal of St. Catherine," on which he was engaged for the Capuchins of that town, he stumbled, and received a hurt from which he never recovered. He died on April 3, 1682, in the arms of Pedro Nunez de Villavicencio, one of his best pupils. Another of his numerous pupils was Sebastian Gomez, named "Murillo's Mulatto." Murillo left two sons (one of them at first an indifferent painter, afterwards a priest) and a daughter. He was buried in the Santa Cruz church near a picture by Pedro de Compafia where he was wont to pray.
Murillo has always been one of the most popular of painters— nor in Spain alone. His art was in accord with the taste of the mystical and devout people of his provincial neighbourhood; and his ecstasies of Madonnas and Saints are the themes of some of his most celebrated achievements. His subjects may be divided into two great groups—his street children, and the legendary and religious works. The former, of which some salient specimens are in the Dulwich Gallery, are delightful genre pictures.
Seville must still be visited by persons who wish to study Murillo thoroughly. A large number of the works which used to adorn this city have, however, been transported elsewhere. In the Prado Museum at Madrid are forty-five specimens of Murillo —the "Infant Christ and the Baptist" (named "Los Nifios della Concha"), "St. Ildefonso vested with a Chasuble by the Ma donna," etc.; in the Museo della Trinidad, "Christ and the Virgin appearing to St. Francis in a Cavern" and various others. In the National Gallery, London, the chief example is the "Holy Family"; this was one of the master's latest works, painted in Cadiz.
See Stirling, Annals of the Artists of Spain (3 vols., London, 1848) ; Richard Ford, Handbook for Spain (London, i855) ; Curtis, Cata logue of the Works of Velasquez and Murillo (1853) ; L. Alfonso, Murillo, el hombre, etc. (1886) ; C. Justi, Murillo (illustrated, 1892) ; P. Lefort, Murillo et ses eleves (1892) ; F. M. Tulino, Murillo, su epoca, etc. (1864, Eng. trans., 1879) ; Dr. G. C. Williamson, Murillo (1902) ; C. S. Ricketts, The Prado (1903) ; A. L. Mayer, Murillo (Stuttgart Berlin, 1913).