Brief Biography-Francesco Ribalta was born in Castellon de la Plana and began his studies in Valencia; he may have also studied in El Escorial. In Italy, where he spent three years, Sebastiano del Piombo and Raphaelinfluenced him; however, his later tenebrist style derived from Caravaggism. When Ribalta returned to Spain, he married and settled in Valencia. His paintings are primarily of religious subjects and hold high esteem throughout Spain. He is said to have had a substantial influence on Francisco Zurbarán. His son Juan also became an artist; however, he died at the early age of thirty-one in Valencia, the same year his father died.