Murillo's Self-Portrait
From Ellen Minor, Murillo (London, 1882)
Engraving on paper
5 1/8 × 4 1/8 in. (12.9 x10.4 cm)
Private collection, New York
Photo Michael Bodycomb
As the discipline of art history became better codified in the nineteenth century, books on Spanish art, and on Murillo in particular, began to be published. The four volumes in the exhibition demonstrate how Murillo’s self-portrait at the Frick had become the standard image of the painter in the art historical literature of the period. Before photography became an indispensable tool for art history, these engravings faithfully reproduced the original painting, which at that time moved between different collections in Paris and London. In 1904, the canvas was purchased by Henry Clay Frick and reached New York.
Other volumes in the exhibition:
Annals of the Artists of Spain (London, 1848)
Histoire des peintres de toutes les Ecoles (Paris, 1869)
Murillo: A Biography and Appreciation (London, 1907)