The Young Beggar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Young Beggar |
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| Artist | Bartolomé Esteban Murillo |
| Year | c. 1645–50 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 134 cm × 300 cm (53 in × 120 in) |
| Location | Louvre, Paris |
The Young Beggar is a (circa 1645–1650) genre painting by Spanish painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. Also known as The Lice-Ridden Boy due to the figure of a young boy delousing himself in the painting, The Young Beggar is the first known depiction of a street urchin by Murillo.
It was influenced by the poverty of Spanish children in the 17th century and followed the style of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Murillo's painting focuses on an orphaned child and uses a complementary technique of light and shade. It has been viewed as one of his most popular works of the Spanish Baroque painting and was once kept in the royal collection of Louis XVI.
It is currently located in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Contents
History
Paintings of children in poverty were greatly appreciated in Flanders due to the long Flemish tradition of low-life genre scenes, including tavern scenes.
As one of the last great painters of Spain's Golden Age, Murillo was above all a religious painter, known for his grand depictions of saints and Christ. His interest in the poor was perhaps related to the doctrine of charity of the Franciscans, for whom he frequently worked. For the Franciscans of Seville, he painted a cycle of pictures to which another painting titled, The Angels' Kitchen, belongs.
Collecting
Murillo's paintings of street urchins and begging children became popular towards the end of the Baroque period and were sold to private collectors in the cities of Antwerp, Rotterdam, and London. They were mostly bought by merchants and collectors who wanted the works for their own private displays.
The Young Beggar was among Murillo's most popular pieces and was bought by a dealer named Lebrun, which was then given to Louis XVI for his royal collection. This was a rare accomplishment since Murillo was only one of three Spanish painters who had their works put in the collection, the other two being Diego Velázquez and Francisco Collantes.
Related paintings
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Boys Eating Grapes and Melon, c. 1645–46, Alte Pinakothek
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Three Boys, c. 1660
See also
In Spanish: Joven mendigo para niños
