Dedicated to Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1664), one of the great painters of seventeenth-century Spain, this publication celebrates the drama and power of his distinctive body of work. A peer of Murillo and Velázquez, Zurbarán’s innovative approach to sacred subjects imbues his works with a startling naturalism and deep emotional force. He spent most of his life in Seville, then one of the wealthiest cities in Europe.

Working for monasteries, private patrons and the King of Spain, he produced striking depictions of saints and altarpieces of staggering scale and ingenuity. His still-life paintings, rich in finely observed details and charged with symbolism, remain vivid today. Written by experts in the field and featuring exciting new discoveries, this lavishly illustrated publication explores Zurbarán’s most important commissions, from dramatic religious visions to tender domestic scenes, offering a fresh appraisal of this singularly gifted artist.