Luis de Morales (El Divino), Badajoz, 1510 - Alcántara?,1586
Virgin of the Hat
Oil on panel
57 × 41 cm
Further images
Provenance
Former collection of the Count of Adanero (second half of the 19th century);
Fondo Cultural Villar Mir
Exhibitions
Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado 2015–16, El Divino Morales, cat. no. 18;
Bilbao, Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao 2016, El Divino Morales, cat. no. 18;
Barcelona, Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) 2016, El Divino Morales, cat. no. 18.
This work shows the Virgin wearing a wide-brimmed hat with ribbons, also called the Virgin in Gypsy Dress (1567), commissioned by Bishop Juan de Ribera. The costume reflects the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt, inspired by contemporary prints and earlier Flemish and Spanish paintings. The half-length Virgin and Child are set against a dark background, highlighting their tender embrace. Morales’s delicate brushwork renders soft flesh tones, golden hair, and the folds of her garments. The nearly nude Child plays with a lock of the Virgin’s hair, while a small fly on her sleeve recalls the fragility of life, exemplifying Morales’s precision and subtle color layering.
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