Francisco de Zurbarán, master of Spain’s Golden Age, painted with unmatched stillness and intensity. Famed for his monks, saints and martyrs, he also created mesmerising still-lifes, making fabrics shimmer and fruit glow with quiet presence. This book explores how Zurbarán’s art captures the spiritual inwardness of seventeenth-century Spain, placing him within the mystical and contemplative culture of his time. From Seville’s cosmopolitan art market to moments of national crisis, his devotional paintings offered visual consolation. Challenging the limits of genre, Zurbarán’s style reveals a distinctive ‘still-life aesthetic’ across his work – deeply meditative, hauntingly beautiful and spiritually attuned. A major reappraisal of a canonical painter, this book situates Zurbarán as one of early modern Europe’s most powerful artistic voices.