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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.
Title
A Cup of Water and a Rose
Date
about 1630
Medium
Oil on canvas
Measurements
H 21.2 x W 30.1 cm
Accession number
NG6566
Acquisition method
Bought for the National Gallery by the George Beaumont Group, 1997
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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