Santa Rufina

Rufina was a potter in Roman Seville, martyred, the story goes, for refusing to make vessels for a pagan festival, and the city has kept her as a patron ever since. Here she stands with a palm of martyrdom and the clay bowls of her trade. The picture has long been given to Velazquez, Seville's own son, as an early work from before he left for the royal court in Madrid, though not every scholar is convinced, and you will still see it labelled attributed. What is certain is that Seville, the city where he was born, had almost nothing by him. When this Rufina came up at auction in 2007, a local foundation bought it and brought her home, and the recent cleaning and study are part of why the debate over his hand goes on.