is own painting, and
throwing himself at Philip's feet begged pardon for his audacity. Both
Philip and Velasquez treated him very kindly. Velasquez gave Pareja his
freedom; but it is said that he continued to serve his old master
faithfully as long as he lived. Pareja succeeded best as a portrait
painter. His works are not numerous, and are seen in few collections out
of Spain.

BARTOLOME ESTEBAN MURILLO (1618-1682) was born at Seville. His parents
were Gaspar Esteban and Maria Perez, and the name of his maternal
grandmother, Elvira Murillo, was added to his own, according to Andalusian
custom. From childhood he showed his inclination for art, and although
this at first suggested to his parents that he should be educated as a
priest, the idea was soon abandoned, as it was found that his interest in
the paintings which adorned the churches was artistic rather than
religious. He was therefore, at an early age, placed in the studio of his
maternal uncle, Juan de Castillo, one of the leaders of the school of art
of Seville. Castillo was then about fifty years old, and had as a student
with Louis Fernandez acquired the Florentine style of the sixteenth
century--combining chaste designing with cold and hard coloring. Murillo
was thus early instructed not only in grinding colors and in indispensable
mechanical details, but was thoroughly grounded in the important elements
of purity of conception and dignity of treatment and arrangement. Seville
at this time was the richest city in the Spanish empire. Its commerce with
all Europe, and especially with Spanish America, was at its height. The
Guadalquivir was alive with its shipping. Its palaces of semi-Moorish
origin were occupied by a wealthy and luxurious nobility. The vast
cathedral had been finished a century before. The tower "La Giralda,"
three hundred and forty feet in height, is to this day one of the greatest
marvels in Christendom, and with its Saracenic ornament and its "lace work
in stone" is beyond all compare. The royal palace of the Alcazar, designed
by Moorish architects, rivalled the Alhambra, and was filled with the
finest workmanship of Grenada. There were one hundred and forty churches,
of which many had been mosques, and were laden with the exquisite
ornaments of their original builders. Such a city was sure to stimulate
artists and be their home. The poorer ones were in the habit of exposing
their works on balconies, on the steps of churches or the cathedral,