Ecce Agnus Dei
c. 1655
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
270.2 × 184.5 cm (106 3/8 × 72 5/8 in.); Framed: 317 × 232 cm (124 13/16 × 91 3/8 in.)
Classification
oil on canvas
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
11392
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This is one of four large canvases devoted to the life of Saint John the Baptist that Bartolomé Esteban Murillo painted for the convent of San Leandro in his native Seville, Spain. Inscriptions from the gospels of John and Luke float in the sky, accompanied by the eagle and winged bull that, respectively, symbolize these evangelists. John the Baptist’s gesture toward Jesus alludes to the Baptist’s role in preparing the way for Christ. When he painted this series, Murillo was transitioning away f...