Museum of Fine Art

The Museum of Fine Art (Museo de Bellas Artes) of Seville is ranked by many as the second most important art museum in Spain, after the Prado in Madrid. It was founded in 1839 to house artwork seized from monasteries and convents between 1835 and 1837 at the behest of Juan Álvarez Mendizábal. Mendizábal was briefly Prime Minister under Queen Isabella II, and this assault on monasteries and convents, known as La Desamortización (The Confiscation), also resulted in the closure of many such facilities. The museum itself is a former convent (the Convento de la Merced Calzada), originally founded at the time of the reconquista of Seville. The collection is mainly art of Spanish origin, produced from medieval times up to the early 20th Century, and as one would expect, the older items are mainly religious in theme. Well-known Spanish artists of the genre such as Murillo, Zurbarán and Valdes Leal are well represented. Donations of works through the 19th and 20th Centuries have diluted the religious theme somewhat, and most of the later paintings have more to do with Spanish life.

The museum was a fairly long walk from the Alcazar, but this gave us a chance to experience more of the old town. On arriving at the museum we found that it was surprisingly affordable (only 1.50 Euros) and not even slightly crowded. According to our guide book photography was against the rules, but when we asked, we were told that it was fine as long as we didn’t take flash pictures. Cool. I guess it never hurts to ask.

Tile Near Entry
Med Lrg

Our visit turned out to be on the rushed side, as we only had about an hour until the museum closed. So we started by powering our way through the older paintings.

Altarpiece of the Passion of Christ, Anonymous (1415)
Med Lrg

Last Judgment, Martín de Vos (1570) Med Lrg	Portrait of Jorge Manuel, El Greco (1600) Med Lrg
The Calvary, Lucas Cranach (1538) Med Lrg	Coronation of the Virgin, Pieter Aertsen Med Lrg
Nella and Altar of St. John the Baptist, Miguel Adan (1592-94) Med Lrg Xlg	Glorification of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Francisco Herrera el Viejo (1622) Med Lrg
Head of an Apostle, Diego Velázquez (1620) Med Lrg	Dome Med Lrg Xlg
St. Anthony of Padua with the Child, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1668-69) Med Lrg Xlg	St. Francis Embracing Christ, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1668-69) Med Lrg Xlg
Annunciation, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1668) Med Lrg Xlg	Bob and Wall of Murillo Paintings Med Lrg
St. Justa and St. Rufina, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1665-66) Med Lrg	The Immaculate Conception, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (ca. 1652) Med Lrg
Spring, Francisco Barrera (1638) Med Lrg	The Assumption of the Virgin, Juan de Valdés Leal (1672) Med Lrg Xlg
The Immaculate Conception, Juan de Valdés Leal (1672) Med Lrg Xlg	The Temptation of St. Jerome, Juan de Valdés Leal (1657) Med Lrg
Earthly Paradise, Jan Brueghel the Elder (1610) Med Lrg	Still Life with Grapes and Apples, Giambattista Ruoppolo (1670) Med Lrg
St. Hugh in the Refectory, Francisco de Zurbarán (1655) Med Lrg Xlg	The Virgin of the Caves, Francisco de Zurbarán (1655) Med Lrg
Portrait of Canon Mr. José Duaso y Latre, Francisco de Goya (1824) Med Lrg	Archangel St. Michael, Juan de Espinal (1784) Med Lrg

While viewing the paintings we also found a number of sculptures, apparently made from painted clay, which were also religiously themed. In addition, well-executed decorative objects were to be seen here and there.

Crying Over the Dead Christ, Pedro Millan (1490) Med Lrg Xlg	St. Jerome, Pietro Torrigiano (1525) Med Lrg Xlg
Head of St. John the Baptist, Gaspar Núñez Delgado (1591) Med Lrg	Virgin of the Caves, Juan de Mesa (1623) Med Lrg Xlg

Neptune Saltcellar, (Flemish School, ca. 1640)
Med Lrg Xlg

The newer paintings were generally related to more secular subjects of personal interest to Spaniards.

Dance in a Fair Tent, Manual Cabral Bejarano (19th C.) Med Lrg	Gran Cañon de Arizona, José Arpa Perea (1920) Med Lrg
Venice Canal, Rafael Senet (1885) Med Lrg Xlg	Death of a Maestro, José Villegas Cordero (1913) Med Lrg Xlg
Vista de Sevilla, Nicolás Jiménez Alpériz (1893) Med Lrg	Dancing Bulerías, José Garcia Ramos (1884) Med Lrg
Sevillian Dance Couple, José Garcia Ramos (1882-1900) Med Lrg	Chaste Susana, Gonzalo Bilbao (ca. 1900) Med Lrg
Sevillian Woman in Her Patio, Diego Lopez (1918) Med Lrg	Cigar Makers, Gonzalo Bilbao (1915) Med Lrg Xlg
Triana, Emilio Sánchez Perrier (1888-90) Med Lrg	Young Woman with Mantilla and Bullfighters, Francisco Soria Aedo (20th C.) Med Lrg Xlg

We finished up just as they were closing the place and headed back to the hotel. We needed to rest up for the ambitious adventure we’d planned for the following day – a trip to the Alhambra.