Andean Colonial Oil: Virgin & Child, Donor and Saint | Cuzco School | Circa 1780–1820
Description
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Historical Context & Origin
Region: Andean Colonial, Peru (Cuzco School tradition; possibly Cuzco or Upper Peru workshop)
Material: Oil on canvas, later laid to wooden panel; later gilt-and-black frame
Period: Late 18th–Early 19th Century (ca. 1780–1820)
Description
A large Andean Colonial devotional painting of the Madonna and Child, both crowned and surrounded by cherubic putti among clouds. At the lower left kneels a pilgrim saint (likely St. James/Santiago) with rosary and staff; at the lower right a uniformed devotee/donor gazes upward, his halberd resting on the ground. A Spanish-colonial architectural vignette appears in the distance.
The saturated palette—ultramarine cloak, coral, and gold highlights—together with flattened space and naïve, expressive angel heads, are hallmarks of the Escuela Cuzqueña. The crowned Virgin with radiant nimbus reflects Andean canonically crowned imagery venerated throughout the region.
Dating Note: The donor’s European militia-style dress with green facings and buttoned coat, combined with simplified modeling and less brocade “estofado” than earlier works, points to a late 18th–early 19th-century provincial workshop. The canvas, now laid to panel, reflects a 19th-century conservation method common for Andean paintings.
Features
- Crowned Madonna and Child with radiant golden nimbus
- Cloud-borne cherubs/putti surrounding the holy figures
- Pilgrim saint (likely Santiago) kneeling with rosary and staff
- Uniformed donor with halberd; colonial architecture in background
- Bold Andean palette and folk-baroque aesthetic of the Cuzco School
- Oil on canvas, laid to panel; later gilt-and-black molded frame
Cultural Significance
The Cuzco School blended European Counter-Reformation iconography with distinct Andean aesthetics, producing radiant religious art for churches and private devotion. Paintings of this type served as intercessory images, often commissioned by local guilds or militias, hence the presence of a uniformed donor.
Condition
Stable overall with craquelure, scattered touch-ups and overpaint from past conservation, and minor abrasions/losses (notably in the ground and cloud passages). Varnish with toning consistent with age. Canvas relined/laid to panel. Frame with wear and small nicks.
Dimensions (approximate)
Height: 27.5 in
Width: 36 in (framed overall)
Age
Circa 1780–1820, Cuzco School tradition (Late 18th–Early 19th Century)
Description
Historical Context & Origin
Region: Andean Colonial, Peru (Cuzco School tradition; possibly Cuzco or Upper Peru workshop)
Material: Oil on canvas, later laid to wooden panel; later gilt-and-black frame
Period: Late 18th–Early 19th Century (ca. 1780–1820)
Description
A large Andean Colonial devotional painting of the Madonna and Child, both crowned and surrounded by cherubic putti among clouds. At the lower left kneels a pilgrim saint (likely St. James/Santiago) with rosary and staff; at the lower right a uniformed devotee/donor gazes upward, his halberd resting on the ground. A Spanish-colonial architectural vignette appears in the distance.
The saturated palette—ultramarine cloak, coral, and gold highlights—together with flattened space and naïve, expressive angel heads, are hallmarks of the Escuela Cuzqueña. The crowned Virgin with radiant nimbus reflects Andean canonically crowned imagery venerated throughout the region.
Dating Note: The donor’s European militia-style dress with green facings and buttoned coat, combined with simplified modeling and less brocade “estofado” than earlier works, points to a late 18th–early 19th-century provincial workshop. The canvas, now laid to panel, reflects a 19th-century conservation method common for Andean paintings.
Features
- Crowned Madonna and Child with radiant golden nimbus
- Cloud-borne cherubs/putti surrounding the holy figures
- Pilgrim saint (likely Santiago) kneeling with rosary and staff
- Uniformed donor with halberd; colonial architecture in background
- Bold Andean palette and folk-baroque aesthetic of the Cuzco School
- Oil on canvas, laid to panel; later gilt-and-black molded frame
Cultural Significance
The Cuzco School blended European Counter-Reformation iconography with distinct Andean aesthetics, producing radiant religious art for churches and private devotion. Paintings of this type served as intercessory images, often commissioned by local guilds or militias, hence the presence of a uniformed donor.
Condition
Stable overall with craquelure, scattered touch-ups and overpaint from past conservation, and minor abrasions/losses (notably in the ground and cloud passages). Varnish with toning consistent with age. Canvas relined/laid to panel. Frame with wear and small nicks.
Dimensions (approximate)
Height: 27.5 in
Width: 36 in (framed overall)
Age
Circa 1780–1820, Cuzco School tradition (Late 18th–Early 19th Century)
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