Zurbarán at the National Gallery, London
A fabulous exploration of one of the greatest Spanish painters of the 17th century
On entering the National Gallery exhibition, Zurbarán it’s the sharp brilliance of a white loincloth draped in folds across the naked body of Christ in The Crucifixion, 1627, that draws attention to the extraordinary skill of the Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán. To paint Christ’s figure and the crisp fabric with such delicacy and naturalism. The sculptural modelling of the human body in this first known work by Zurbarán, was a key component of his depiction of the human figure. To confirm ownership of his work, it is signed on a piece of paper nailed to the base of the cross, and is one of near-fifty exceptional paintings in the 5-star exhibition Zurbarán, at the National Gallery, London. This is a fabulous exploration of the life and work of an extraordinary painter who is revered in Spain.
Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664), one of the greatest Spanish painters of the seventeenth century alongside his friend Diego Velázquez (1599–1660), and the younger Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682), was born in Fuente de Cantos, near Badajoz, Extremadura, the sixth child in a prosperous textile merchant family. Aged fifteen, he moved seventy miles south to Seville, to take an apprenticeship to study art, sculpture and gilding. His professional career as an artist began in the mid-1620s with the city council of Seville inviting him to settle permanently in city in 1629, the same year that he created the multi-figure history painting The Surrender of Seville, 1629. At the time of his apprenticeship Seville was a wealthy city with 150,000 population, and pivotal to transatlantic commercial trade with the Americas. (Between 1639 and 1645 Zurbarán exported 120 of his own works for sale in Lima, Peru.)
In Seville, patrons, public and private, secular and religious, employed him. His first independent commissions were for the Church of San Pablo in Seville in 1626 followed by religious works for 13th-century Monastery of Nuestra Señora de la Merced. Zurbarán’s superb portrait of The Venerable Míguel Gerónímo Carmelo, 1628-30 receiving a vision of the Virgin Mary, and a portrayal of Saint Serapion,1628, as if asleep after the violence of his martyrdom, both hung in the monastery’s mortuary chapel. They are reunited in the National Gallery show.
Zurbaran’s fine knowledge of fabrics, gained through his father’s textile business, is evident in many works, such as the exquisite full-length St Casilda, 1635 and St Catherine of Alexandria, 1640. The fabrics look touchable. So too does the exquisite wool fleece of the small lamb, Agnus Dei, 1635-40, alive, lying on a stone slab, its legs bound with cord for slaughter. A halo hovers above its head, a symbol of Christ. Zurbaran’s diverse skills included serene still-lifes as in A Cup of water and a Rose, c.1630. In the exhibition also look out for three still-life works by his son Juan de Zurbarán (1620-1649), a leading still-life painter in Seville. Plate of Grapes, 1639; Still Life with Lemons in a Wicker Basket, 1643-49 and Flowers and Fruit in Bowl,1645, reveal his expertise in this genre. Juan de Zurbarán died in the summer of 1649, possibly of a bubonic plague that ravaged Seville that year.
The works on show highlight Zurbarán’s gift for creating different approaches to the depiction of saints, such as St Seripion,1628, another early work where the artist depicts the martyred saint as if asleep, yet same subject for his clients. One to look for is a late work The Crucified Christ with a Painter, 1650. A painter, standing in profile, holding his palette and brushes, looks up reverently toward Christ. His gaze signifies an intimate human interaction. Is the painter Zurbarán? We do not know. A detail here to note is that four nails are used to pierce Christ’s hands and feet, a depiction unique to Seville. Another late work, The Holy Family, 1659 (Museum of Arts, Budapest), highlights Zurbarán’s gift for portraying intimate moments, such as the tender portrayal of Mary and Joseph with their infant child. How Zurbarán depicts intimacy and love, and the immediacy of the spectator being present as a witness, is remarkable.
The wealth of the city created many new buildings. Commissions were plentiful particularly from religious orders, seeking sacred paintings to promote the Counter-Reformation. When the prosperity of Seville faded, and work was scarce, Zurbarán took on prestigious commissions for the royal family in Madrid. He kept his workshop busy, even during leaner times. Today we recognise his extraordinary talent in 250 signed works.
The National Gallery show is excellent and worthy of its 5* reviews. The exhibition ends on 23 August 2026 and will then transfer to Le Musée du Louvre, Paris (7 October 2026-25 January 2027); and then to The Art Institute of Chicago (28 February-20 June 2027). A 208-page catalogue Zurbarán (National Gallery Global Limited/Yale University Press, 2026) accompanies the exhibition.
ENDS