The Virgin of the Rosary, Murillo

The work captures the religious devotion of the artist himself. Murillo was Catholic and belonged to the Brotherhood of the Rosary, who practiced the prayer of the holy rosary with special fervor. For this reason, the child can be seen holding one in his right hand. The pose of both is extremely sweet and gentle, which, combined with the beauty of the faces and the joyful serenity of the expressions, results in a sublime work, as few have been known. The composition shows characteristics of Tenebrism, due to its strong contrasts of light, a style widely used especially in the early artistic phase of the painter.