In this small and intimate painting, everyday objects appear monumental and take on a mystical intensity. On a tabletop or ledge, a ceramic cup of water with delicately curved handles sits in the centre of a silver plate. A thornless rose in full bloom balances on the plate’s edge.
That these objects have religious significance would have been immediately obvious to devout Spanish viewers in the seventeenth century. The cup of water and the rose were seen as symbols of the Virgin Mary’s purity; the fact that the flower is thornless may refer to the Immaculate Conception (the belief that Mary was conceived without sin).
Zurbarán’s painting encourages meditation and quiet contemplation; an approach not dissimilar to that which he adopted in his religious paintings. The stark simplicity of the surrounding space provides no distractions, and we are invited to appreciate the beauty of light reflecting on water and bouncing off polished surfaces.
This painting is included in a list of works with incomplete provenance from 1933–1945; for more information see Whereabouts of paintings 1933–1945.
Text extracted from the National Gallery’s Annual Report, ‘The National Gallery Report: April 1996 – March 1997’.
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
