Bartolome Murillo - Madonna in the Clouds

Bartolome Murillo (1617-1682) - Madonna in the Clouds (1656-1660)

British 4d Stamp issued 1967

Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Murillo was born into a family with thirteen siblings.  He grew up in Seville, which was a major trading city in Spain at the time, and it is thought that he was influenced by the popular Flemish painters.  He was most famous for his religious paintings, although he also completed a large number of paintings that captured contemporary Spanish life.  In 1642, he moved to Madrid, where he learned more about the works of Velazquez.