ZURBARÁN, FRANCISCO DE (1598–1664). Francisco de Zurbarán was born in Extremadura, a small town near Seville, Spain. In 1625, he married into a family of landowners and merchants, which provided him with the necessary funds to establish a workshop where he catered mainly to religious communities as well as the Spanish colonies in the Americas. In 1629, he settled in Seville, where he became the city’s leading artist. His earliest documented work is the Crucified Christ (1627; Chicago, Art Institute) he painted for the Monastery of San Pablo el Real in Seville, a work inspired by the polychromed wood sculptures carried during Spanish religious processions. His St. Serapion (1628; Hartford, Wadsworth Atheneum), rendered for the Monastery of the Merced Calzada in Seville, shows Zurbarán’s mastery in portraying white, crisp fabrics. Zurbarán specialized in depictions of single saints either meditating or simply standing in heroic fashion accompanied by their attributes. Examples of this are his St. Francis Meditating (1638; London, National Gallery) and St. Margaret of Antioch (1634; London, National Gallery). Among his narratives is Christ and the Virgin in the House at Nazareth (1640; Cleveland Museum of Art), an unusual subject. In the 1640s, Zurbarán changed his style to a softer, more spontaneous manner so he could compete with Murillo who was quickly becoming the most popular artist in Seville. His Immaculate Conception (1660s; Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland) represents this change in his style. The shift proved to be disastrous to his career. His popularity declined and his finances collapsed. He died penniless in Madrid in 1664.