“The Nursing Madonna” is the only painting by Spanish painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo in Rome. It's currently on display in the historic Palazzo Barberini.
It's a painting of the Virgin Mary breastfeeding Jesus as a baby, but it contains a secret...
ALESSANDRO COSMA
Conservator-restorer, “The Nursing Madonna”
'Behind the Madonna and Child is another image of St. Francis kneeling in the middle of nature. Murillo must have made it before the work we see before us, it was another image that was almost finished in its entirety and that for some unknown reason he decided to hide.'
Through X-rays, it is possible to see the face of St. Francis behind the image of Mary, as well as his hands bearing the stigmata, his tunic, and even the garden around him. On the surface, no trace remains of the scene of St. Francis behind the painting.
Yet the beauty of this painting is not the hidden image of St. Francis, but the captivating eyes of its subjects which draw the audience into the painting.
ALESSANDRO COSMA
Conservator-restorer, “The Nursing Madonna”
'He painted the Madonna and Child as if it were a mother nursing her child in an open space. We could even imagine that we are in Seville and next to a slightly damaged wall we find this mother breastfeeding her child, and the arrival of the viewer disrupts the moment so they turn around.”
The gaze of the Virgin and the infant Jesus captivate the viewer, bringing them into the humble scene.
Since it was painted in 1675, Murillo's work continues to fascinate audiences from around the world.
The restoration of “The Nursing Madonna” took 10 months to complete. It will be on display at Palazzo Barberini until July.
Daniel Diaz Vizzi
TR: Justin McLellan
MG
