Anonymous

Immaculate Conception

17th century

oil on canvas

187.5 x 126 cm

Inv. no. P02146

BBVA Collection Spain


Circle of Antonio del Castillo (Cordoba, 1616-1668)

Benito Navarrete has associated this canvas to the work of Antonio del Castillo y Saavedra (1616-1668), but the stiffness of the Virgin’s pose and the drapery of her mantle, as well as the rigid poses of the cherubs, suggest that this would be an early work of the artist, from around 1635, or of one of his imitators. On the other hand, the
that surround Mary lean toward the models of Antonio Mohedano (1563-1626), the painter from Cordoba from the previous generation, although they also show some features characteristic of those painted by Castillo.

The perfectly symmetrical arrangement of the
and the cherubs around the Virgin’s head also present similarities with the print of the Immaculate Conception by Raffaello Schiaminossi (1572-1622) based on the composition of Bernardo Castello. On the other hand, this model of the Virgin can be associated to contemporary works by Francisco Pacheco (1564-1644) —who advises on how to represent the Immaculate Conception in El arte de la pintura—or Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664), in the treatment of the Virgin’s garments and halo, and the distribution of the Marian attributes in the composition.

The Virgin is accompanied by her most representative attributes: the rays of sunlight around her head, and the moon under her feet. To her left there are elements borrowed from the Song of Solomon: the sealed fountain, the enclosed garden, and a cypress tree upon the mountains of Sion. On her right, the well of flowing water, the tower of David and the exalted palm. The attributes held by the
that surround them come from the same source: the olive branch, the iris, the rose and the lily, symbol of purity.