The work, an early copy of an original by Murillo in a private collection, depicts a half-length old woman holding a spindle in her hands while looking straight ahead. In this regard, it is worth noting how manual trades, and more specifically those related to the textile sector, were closely associated with women during the Middle and Modern Ages. In the case of modern Madrid, women were denied access to guilds to carry out the activities they had traditionally carried out in earlier times, being subordinated to the master head of the family. However, widowhood, as the Laws of Toro show, gave women an independent character.
Collection: Images
Project: 3. Rural world and urban world in the formation of the European identity., 4. Family, daily life and social inequality in Europe.
Chronology: XVII
Scope: Secondary Education, Baccalaureate, University
Resource type: Image
Format: Oil on canvas (61 x 51 cm)
Source: Museo del Prado (Madrid)
Language: Spanish
Date: 17th century
Owner: Álvaro Romero González (Modernalia)
Identifier: P001001
Copyright: Museo del Prado (Madrid)
Abstract: Portrait of an Old Woman Spinning by Murillo
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