Bolivian
18th century
Oil on panel, iron U-nails (ex votos)
Height 13 1/4" (33.7 cm) x Width 9 1/4" (23.5 cm) including frame
Provenance: J. Frederick Caine, St. Petersburg, FL
This Bolivian colonial oil on panel depicts the Virgin nursing the Holy Child (Virgen Lactans), a subject that simultaneously references two moments in the life of Christ: his birth and his death by Crucifixion, the nursing Virgin at the foot of the Cross serving as a devotional bridge between the two. Angels flank the Virgin and Child in the upper register, and the image is painted with the warm, jewel-toned palette and flattened, icon-like frontality characteristic of Bolivian colonial devotional painting of the 18th century. The small iron U-nails affixed to the surface above the Virgin's head and to the right of the Child's halo functioned as ex votos, small metal offerings pinned by the faithful in prayer for recovery from illness or in gratitude for a miracle.
The practice of attaching ex votos directly to devotional images was widespread in colonial Latin America and reflects the active, participatory relationship between worshippers and sacred objects in this tradition. The panel shows craquelure consistent with age, and the paint surface retains its warmth and legibility despite the surface additions. The work comes from the collection of J. Frederick Caine of St. Petersburg, Florida.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Bolivian
18th century
Oil on panel, iron U-nails (ex votos)
Height 13 1/4" (33.7 cm) x Width 9 1/4" (23.5 cm) including frame
Provenance: J. Frederick Caine, St. Petersburg, FL
This Bolivian colonial oil on panel depicts the Virgin nursing the Holy Child (Virgen Lactans), a subject that simultaneously references two moments in the life of Christ: his birth and his death by Crucifixion, the nursing Virgin at the foot of the Cross serving as a devotional bridge between the two. Angels flank the Virgin and Child in the upper register, and the image is painted with the warm, jewel-toned palette and flattened, icon-like frontality characteristic of Bolivian colonial devotional painting of the 18th century. The small iron U-nails affixed to the surface above the Virgin's head and to the right of the Child's halo functioned as ex votos, small metal offerings pinned by the faithful in prayer for recovery from illness or in gratitude for a miracle.
The practice of attaching ex votos directly to devotional images was widespread in colonial Latin America and reflects the active, participatory relationship between worshippers and sacred objects in this tradition. The panel shows craquelure consistent with age, and the paint surface retains its warmth and legibility despite the surface additions. The work comes from the collection of J. Frederick Caine of St. Petersburg, Florida.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
