Spinning virgin

At Bill Hood, 24 March 2015, they sell an "Attributed to Zurbaran" 17th century picture of "Little Mary", estimated at $10,000 to $15,000. While a Zurbaran attribution seems somewhat optimistic, it is an interesting example of a Spanish type of picture I wasn't aware of until now. According to the Prado, this is a so-called "Virgen niña hilando" or "Virgin child spinning", an originally Sevillan type from (indeed) the surroundings of Zurbaran, and which was also popular in South America. UPDATE: it sold, but I don't know for how much...

The one for sale here is one of the best I could find, and the only one with such an elaborate interior and background angels, most ones are much more plain (a chair or at most a table as only decoration) or have a flower border but nothing else. The detailing here (e.g. in the dress) is vastly superior to most other examples.

The Prado one is the only somewhat comparable example, and is even better, but then again, it's the Prado we're comparing with here :-) But otherwise, you'll be hard pressed to find a better Spinning Virgin example anytime soon. Is it worth the estimate? No idea, depends on how many people or museums want this type of painting. But it is good and unusual enough to warrant highlighting.