Ecce Agnus Dei

Museum record 11392: Ecce Agnus Dei by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. A verified entry point for discovery.

What to notice

For Ecce Agnus Dei (record 11392), start with modern, expressive, atmospheric. Compare the focal subject, edge treatment, and atmosphere before moving on.

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This is one of four large canvases devoted to the life of Saint John the Baptist that Bartolomé Esteban Murillo painted for the convent of San Leandro in his native Seville, Spain. Inscriptions from the gospels of John and Luke float in the sky, accompanied by the eagle and winged bull that, respectively, symbolize these evangelists. John the Baptist’s gesture toward Jesus alludes to the Baptist’s role in preparing the way for Christ. When he painted this series, Murillo was transitioning away from the h…