Murillo and the Origins of the Iconography of the Infant christ Sleeping on the cross

Abstract

Murillo made several depictions of the Infant Christ sleeping on the cross, thus creating a wildly followed series of iconographic models. Although it is a growing issue in the Counter-Reformation, its origins can be traced back to some saints’ visions, several religious and literary texts, and also in the adaptation of other pagan, allegorical and religious iconographic typologies. This paper studies the origin of this iconography and the model created by Spanish painter Murillo.