It is related that this great Spanish painter visited America in early
life, and painted there many works; but the later Spanish historians
have shown that he never quitted his native country; and the
circumstance of his pictures being found in America, is best accounted
for by the following narrative. After acquiring considerable knowledge
of the art under Juan del Castillo at Seville, he determined to travel
for improvement; but how to raise the necessary funds was a matter of
difficulty, for his parents had died leaving little behind them, and his
genius had not yet recommended him to the good offices of any wealthy
or powerful patron. But Murillo was not to be balked of his cherished
desires. Buying a large quantity of canvas, he divided it into squares
of various sizes, which he primed and prepared with his own hands for
the pencil, and then converted into pictures of the more popular saints,
landscapes, and flower-pieces. These he sold to the American traders for
exportation, and thus obtained a sum of money sufficient for his
purpose.