Today in Smithsonian History: February 4, 1974

Placement of the statue of Esteban Murillo in exterior second-floor niche of Renwick Gallery; the casting was done by Renato Lucchetti. (Photo by Harry B. Neufield, as featured in the Torch, March 1974)

February 4, 1974 Restoration of the exterior of the Renwick Gallery is completed when statues of Peter Paul Rubens and Esteban Murillo are placed in second floor niches on the outside of the building. The sculptures are duplicates of the originals by Moses Ezekiel that occupied the niches in the late 19th century when the Renwick served as the first Corcoran Gallery of Art .

Sir Peter Paul Rubens (June 28, 1577 – May 30, 1640), was a Flemish Baroque painter, and a proponent of an extravagant Baroque style that emphasized movement, color, and sensuality. He is well known for his Counter-Reformation altarpieces, portraits, landscapes, and history paintings of mythological and allegorical subjects.

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (born late December 1617, baptized January 1, 1618 – April 3, 1682) was a Spanish Baroque painter. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contemporary women and children. These lively, realist portraits of flower girls, street urchins, and beggars constitute an extensive and appealing record of the everyday life of his times.

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