Madonna Nursing the Christ Child c. 1670 - 1672

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo's "Madonna Nursing the Christ Child" is a brown ink drawing dating back to the 1670s. This drawing is a study for a larger painting, displaying the artist's masterful handling of the subject. The composition features the Virgin Mary, her gaze focused on the viewer, cradling a young Christ child as she nurses him. The expressive lines of the drawing and the soft shading convey both the tenderness and the divine nature of the subject, characteristics often found in Murillo's religious works. The drawing demonstrates Murillo's skill in depicting the human form with grace and realism, a signature element of his Baroque style.