The life-size portraits ‘Asher’ and ‘Joseph’ are among the first works by Francisco de Zurbarán to arrive in Britain. National Gallery curators Francesca Whitlum-Cooper and Daniel Sobrino Ralston follow the story of the two paintings, from the Spanish painter’s series ‘Jacob and his Twelve Sons’.
When the Bishop of Durham bought 12 paintings by Francisco de Zurbarán in 1756, he did so with a purpose. With the help of Morlin Ellis and Clare Baron from the Spanish Gallery at Auckland Palace in County Durham, we discuss the historical significance behind these works.
Dive even deeper behind the scenes in the Gallery’s Conservation Studio, where the paintings have undergone a recent treatment by Conservation Fellows Valeriia Kravchenko and Jack Chauncy. They carefully restored the paintings’ balance of light and dark, ahead of their display in our current Zurbarán exhibition.
? See these paintings in our 'Zurbarán' exhibition, until 23 August 2026.
Book your tickets, Members go free: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/zurbaran
?️ Find out more about Francisco de Zurbarán: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/francisco-de-zurbaran
Bank of America is the National Gallery’s Conservation Partner.
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The National Gallery houses the national collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the 13th to the 19th centuries. The museum is free of charge and open 361 days per year, daily between 10am - 6pm and on Fridays between 10am - 9pm.
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