Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617-1682)

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617-1682): “Children Eating From a Tureen”, also called “Children Eating Cake,” is an oil on canvas painting dated between 1670 and 1675, currently housed in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, Germany. Murillo was one of the first European painters to begin depicting scenes with children as protagonists in a spontaneous and casual attitude that Murillo could imprint on his portraits. It belongs to a group of genre paintings with a popular theme and child subject painted by Murillo. Through an innocent and inconsequential scene, it shows the sad and miserable condition suffered by the very young beggars who roamed the streets of Seville. This can also be seen, for example, in his work Children Eating Grapes and Melon, from around 1650 and of a similar type. The theme of childhood is addressed in a more hopeful and serene way, with optimism and joy, and although very idealized, the two children are represented with great verisimilitude and without moralizing intentions. It is very likely that those who commissioned these representations from Murillo were merchants from Northern Europe, where paintings on this theme were highly valued. In the canvas, two children are depicted in the foreground, occupying almost the entire scene, sitting and eating from a tureen placed between them, and one of them raises his arm holding a piece of food that he is about to ravenously devour. His companion, meanwhile, watches him with amusement and expectancy, as does the dog, which, with an attentive gesture, eagerly waits for any scraps to fall. At their feet is also a still life rendered with great realism. Murillo, in this painting, makes an incredibly skillful use of lighting. A single light source illuminates the entire scene, shaping volumes and distributing spaces to achieve great realism throughout the composition. The naturalism is further emphasized by the expressiveness of the children's and the dog’s emotions in their gestures, as well as by the meticulous and detailed study of the foods, the ragged clothes, and the dirty soles of the child’s feet in the foreground. The brushstrokes are fluid and the colors, laid in fine layers, tend toward earthy browns, grayish tones, and greens, harmoniously blending in perfect fusion with the dark background composed of a sfumato landscape. In good condition with some losses that can be restored. Dimensions with the wooden gold frame: 74.5 cm x 63.5 cm x 5 cm. Frame: 61.1 cm x 50.2 cm. The frame is included free of charge with the sale of the artwork.

Schätzpreis:€700

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