Murillo was born on December 31, 1617 in Sevilla, Spain. An orphan at the age of ten but adopted by his uncle, Murillo began to pursue art and became the pupil of Juan del Castillo, a run-of-the-mill painter but a great educator. Murillo started his training by making “sargas”, cheap paintings on rough canvas, which were sold at weekly fairs in Macarena of Seville and shipped to America. In 1642, Murillo departed for Madrid where he studied in the Royal Galleries under Diego Velazque, artist in the court of King Phillip IV. After three years of instruction, he returned to Seville, where for the next 26 years, he contributed countless pieces to the Cathedral of Seville and the Hospital de la Caridad. On April 5, 1682, Murillo passed away.

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