Detroit Institute of Arts Discovers Rare Painting by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo at Area University

ARTDAILY

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Infant Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness, ca. 1655–1670,
oil on canvas, 85 x 72 cm. © Meadow Brook Hall, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan.

MICHIGAN---A chance visit to Meadow Brook Hall by a curator from the Detroit Institute of Arts has led to the rediscovery of a significant work by a 17th-century Spanish artist and a unique learning opportunity for Oakland University (OU) art students. Salvador Salort-Pons, DIA executive director of Collection Strategies and Information, and curator of European paintings, was at Meadow Brook Hall in February presenting a lecture when a painting in a dark corner of the room caught his eye; it turned out to be a work by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo entitled "The Infant Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness." Murillo, who was known for his genre scenes and religious works, created the painting around 1670. [link]