In this translation, the writings on religious painting by the Spanish painter Francisco Pacheco are for the first time made available to an English-speaking readership. The Art of Painting by Francisco Pacheco is an invaluable literary and theoretical source for the study of Spanish 17th-century painting; one of the major contributions of this book is the nine chapters, translated here, devoted to the issue of decorum in religious painting and the subject of religious iconography. Among the many subjects addressed in this book are Pacheco's own paintings, providing a rare insight into his artistic thinking, the reception of his paintings by a range of religious and secular authorities, and scholarly discussion of the historical basis for the iconography of subjects such as the Trinity, the Immaculate Conception, the Crucifixion and numerous saints including Sts. Jerome, Francis of Assisi, and Ignatius of Loyola.