Curatorial Notes
Stories of Christ’s childhood and adolescence became increasingly popular during the Counter-Reformation because they were easily understood by a broad public. Rather than taking a story from the Bible, Zurbarán appears to have invented this subject, in which Jesus pricks himself on a crown of thorns he is weaving, foretelling his later torment at the Crucifixion. Despite the grand scale and monumental figures, the work has remarkable intimacy and quietness, emphasizing such details as the Virgin’s tears.
Artwork Identification
Title Christ and the Virgin in the House at Nazareth
Title (PT) Cristo e a Virgem na Casa de Nazaré
Title (ES) Cristo y la Virgen en la Casa de Nazaret
Artist Francisco de Zurbarán
Artist Bio Francisco de Zurbarán (Spanish, 1598–1664)
Date c. 1640
Work Type Painting
Location & Collection
Institution Cleveland Museum of Art
Source View Museum Page
License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0
