The Virgin Presenting the Rosary to Saint Dominic

Dateca. 1679 - 88

Maker Antonio Palomino Spanish, 1655 - 1726

Label TextIn a setting that bridges earth and heaven, Saint Dominic receives a rosary from the Virgin Mary, who sits on high with the Christ Child. Catholics believe that the Spanish-born Saint Dominic instituted the rosary, a special string of beads upon which prayers to the Virgin were recited. At the lower left are the saint’s symbolic attributes: lilies that represent chastity and a black-and-white dog with flaming torch. (According to a dream of Saint Dominic’s mother, she gave birth to a dog with the torch to illuminate the world.) Palomino painted this work when he was trying to become court painter to the King of Spain. He may have been consciously evoking the rosy aura found in the religious paintings of Bartolome Murrillo, the dominant Spanish master of the previous generation.

We can understand this painting in several ways. It was painted by a young artist at a time when he was avidly hoping for a court appointment as painter to the king. It also documents the institution of the rosary, a primary devotional practice among Catholics, and demonstrates the importance of Saint Dominic to Spanish Catholics. Use the Artist and Explore pages to learn more about this multifaceted painting.

Object number93.9

ProvenanceSanto Domingo, Dominican Republic; Charles Deering Collection, Chicago, Illinois (loan from Mr. Deering to Art Institute of Chicago, 1922-1927), by 1922-1927 (his death); by inheritance to his daughters, Mrs. Chauncey McCormick and Mrs. R.E. Danielson, Chicago, Illinois (continued on loan to Art Institute of Chicago, 1927-1955), 1927-1955; gift from Mrs. McCormick to Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Carrollton of Miami, Florida, 1955-1965; Dominican Friars, Chapel of St. Dominic Priory, Miami, Florida, 1965-1993; [Valery Taylor Gallery, New York]; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 1993

Photo CreditPhoto: Paul Macapia

At an unhappy time and in an unfortunate climate [Spain], genius strives in vain for attainment if the stars fail to exert their good influence.

From <i>Lives of the Eminent Spanish Painters and Sculptors</i>, 1724

Exhibition HistoryAlbuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque Museum, El Alma de Espana, April 17 - July 31, 2005, (4/17/2005-7/17/2005).Published ReferencesBlanco Mozo, Juan Luis. "Antonio Palomino en Navalcarnero (Madrid)," in SEPARATA del Anuario del Departamento de Historia y Teoria del Arte, vol. 20, 2008, fig. 4, illus. p. 105. Albarez, Mari-Tere. Alma de Espana, exh. cat. Albuquerque: Albuquerque Museum of Art, 2005. Ishikawa, Chiyo. The Samuel H. Kress Collection at the Seattle Art Museum. Seattle: Seattle Art Museum, 1997, fig. 8, pp. 20, 22. Iturgaiz, Domingo. "Acercamiento a Antonio Palomino. Obra inedita en conventos Dominicanos," in Archivo Espanol de Arte, Tomo LIII, num. 209, 1980, fig. 1. Calloway, Donald H. MIC. Champions of the Rosary: The History and Heros of a Spiritual Weapon. Stockbridge, Mass.: Marian Press, 2016; p. 191. Calloway, Donald H. MIC. 26 Champions of the Rosary: The Essential Guide to the Greatest Heros of the Rosary. Stockbridge: Marian Press, 2017; p. 13.

Credit LineEuropean Painting Purchase Fund, Margaret E. Fuller Purchase Fund and the Kreielsheimer Foundation

Dimensions81 1/8 x 57 1/8 in. (206.1 x 145.1cm)

MediumOil on canvas