Page:An Elementary History of Art.djvu/508

 478 Painting the poor — the painting which Murillo himself preferred of all his works — lastly, the one of his numerous Conceptions which is called the Perla de las Concepciones. This is a symbolical representation of the favourite doctrine of the Spaniards, which has become the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. It is, in reality, an apotheosis of the Virgin. Forty-seven pictures by Murillo are collected in the National Museum at Madrid. From this number we must choose a few for special mention. Of the cold style we prefer a Holy Family, usually termed with the little dog ; the Martyrdom of 8. Andrew; and the smallest of his Annunciations. The warm style was that which Murillo himself seems to have preferred. All his Ecstasies of Saints, and the number of these is great, were treated in this manner. The Museum at Madrid possesses a fine example, 8. Ildefonso. The Virgin appears to the Saint and presents him with a chasuble for his new dignity of archbishop. It is in these scenes of supernatural poetry that the pencil of Murillo, like the wand of an enchanter, produces marvels. It might be said of the two great Spanish masters that Velazquez is the painter of the earth, and Murillo of heaven. Although the Academy of S. Fernando at Madrid can only show four pictures by Murillo, yet these are master- pieces, the Resurrection, the 8. Elizabeth of Hungary, sometimes called el Tinoso, and the two vast pendents, usually called los Medios juntos, relating the legend of 8. Maria in Neve. Murillo, having been far more fertile than Velazquez, is much better known out of Spain. The Hermitage of S. Petersburg has twenty pictures by him in its catalogue.