1638
oil
canvas
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
Saint Romanus of Antioch and Saint Barulas is a 1638 oil by Francisco de Zurbarán, a Baroque work, held at Art Institute of Chicago.
You see two saints standing side by side—one tall and robed, the other a small boy in simple clothes. The older saint rests a hand on the boy’s shoulder, almost like a teacher with a student. Zurbarán painted this for a church altar, so the figures had to feel real and close. The saints aren’t floating on clouds; they stand on plain ground, lit like actors on a stage. The boy’s bare feet and the saint’s worn robe make them feel like people you could meet in the street. Look up *chiaroscuro* to see how Zurbarán used light and shadow to make them feel solid.
Francisco de Zurbarán excelled at painting altarpieces that presented saints in an accessible manner. Catholic reformers, who aimed to revitalize Catholicism in the face of the Protestant Reformation, emphasized that religious painting should feature easily recognizable figures and narratives in order to reach contemporary audiences. This canvas, made for the high altar of the church of San Román in Seville, Spain, aligns with the church’s dedication to Saint Romanus of Antioch. Romanus towers over Saint Barulas, a seven-year-old child who was inspired to martyrdom by the elder saint’s words.…
Church of San Roman, Seville, until at least 1800 [Cean Bermudez 1800]; removed by government decree and deposited in the Alcazar, Seville, 1810 [lmaz 1896, no. 11]; taken by Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult (1769-1851), 1st Duke of Dalmatia, Paris, by 1812 [see the Getty Provenance Index database, F-23, which lists the painting in Sault's estate inventory of February 5, 1852, as no. 150; date of acquisition according to Delenda 2009]; sale of his estate, Galerie Lebrun, Paris, May 19-22, 1852, lot no. 28, presumably bought in [according to an annotated copy of the sale catalogue, Rijksbureau voor…
London, Grafton Galleries, Exhibition of Spanish Old Masters in support of National Gallery funds and for the benefit of the Sociedad de Amigos def Arte Espanola, October 1913-January 1914, cat. 98. Art Institute of Chicago, A Century of Progress: Loan Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, June I-November 1, 1933, cat. 186. Art Institute of Chicago, A Century of Progress: Loan Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, June I-November 1, 1934, cat. 84. Art Institute of Chicago, Masterpiece of the Month, October 1948. London, National Gallery, Zurbarán, Oct. 1, 2026–Jan. 31, 2027, no cat. no,…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Francisco de Zurbarán was a Spanish Baroque painter. He is known primarily for his religious paintings depicting monks, nuns, and martyrs, and for his still-lifes. Zurbarán gained the nickname "Spanish Caravaggio",…
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
