Two Women at a Window

Art Historical Context

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’s *Two Women at a Window*, painted around 1655–1660, offers a charming glimpse into everyday life in 17th-century Seville. The Spanish Baroque master, celebrated for both religious works and intimate genre scenes, captures two women leaning from an open window—one veiled and holding a fan, the other smiling warmly outward. Rendered in oil on canvas with Murillo’s signature soft modeling and luminous warmth, the composition invites viewers to share in a fleeting moment of curiosity and connection. This painting reflects the growing interest in secular subjects during Spain’s Golden Age, when artists began portraying ordinary people with the same dignity once reserved for saints. Murillo’s gentle realism and subtle play of light and shadow bring the figures to life, emphasizing their expressive faces and the textured fabric of their clothing. The work’s large scale and inviting gaze make it feel almost like a conversation across centuries. Housed in the National Gallery of Art’s Widener Collection, the canvas remains a beloved example of Murillo’s ability to blend technical mastery with human warmth, reminding visitors that beauty often resides in the simplest encounters.

About the Artist

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo · 1618–1682

Son of Gaspar Esteban, a barber-surgeon, and María Pérez. He was orphaned at the age of ten and brought up by his maternal uncle, who placed him as an apprentice with his relative Juan del Castillo, a painter in the Italian manner. He adopted the surname of his maternal grandmother, Elvira Murillo, and rarely signed or used that of his father. Comment on works: History; Portraits; Religious