Self Portrait, Murillo

The inscription under the painting by the painter reads in Latin: "Bartus Murillo seipsum depingens pro filiorum votis acprecibus explendis", which means "...painting himself at the request of his beloved children". Although the appearance of the painter is that of a relatively young man, it is believed that the work was painted when the artist was already over 50 years old, a time when his children were old enough to be proud of their father's work. The composition follows the same pattern as the engravings on the frontispieces of books of the time: the protagonist framed in an oval and below him the instruments and tools of his trade: pencils and paper to his left and a palette with brushes to the right.