Why it matters
The Virgin opens her cloak to shelter figures in fashionable ruffs, including El Greco's son. It was part of a commission of five works for the Santuario de la Caridad in Illescas, where it still hangs.
Did you know?
- It dates from 1597–1603.
- The commission came through El Greco's son Jorge Manuel.
- It updates the medieval image of the Virgin of Mercy.
Based on the Wikipedia article The Virgin of Charity (El Greco) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
