CUADRO II

MURILLO, The holy children with a shell (1670)



This painting was painted by Murillo in oil on canvas and he used the technique of chiaroscuo.

The Christ child holds a shell for his cousin John to drink. The latter is identified by the cross and by a lamb. In the sky, the heavens open to reveal cherubs who witness the scene, making it holy. The phrase Ecce Agnus Dei on the cross's banner alludes to Christ's condition as the Lamb of God. Murillo plays with the charm of subjects related to children, which were quite customary in his work, but at the same time, he foreshadows the baptism of Christ by John on the banks of the Jordan River.