Madonna Nursing the Christ Child c. 1670 - 1672

Bartolomé Estebán Murillo made this pen and brown wash drawing of the Madonna and Child in seventeenth-century Spain. Images of the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus were common at the time, reflecting the cultural and religious values of the society. Artists like Murillo were often commissioned by the Catholic Church or wealthy patrons to create such works, reinforcing religious beliefs and social norms through visual representation. In this drawing, the image of Mary nursing the infant Jesus reinforces traditional ideals of motherhood and piety. Murillo's focus on the tenderness and intimacy between mother and child reflects the Catholic Church's emphasis on the humanity of Christ and the importance of the Virgin Mary as an intercessor. To understand this drawing fully, one would want to delve into the archives of the religious institutions that were patrons to artists in Seville at this time. Considering these kinds of institutional histories allows us to better understand the social conditions that shaped the production of art.