Briefly: The Latin American Collection
Joslyn Art Museum's small but notable collection of Spanish colonial art reflects the influence of Spanish missionaries on indigenous artists in the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, particularly in Mexico and Bolivia. Joslyn's holdings, including an Our Lady of Guadalupe retablo and a travelling scroll by José María Hernández, exemplify the Spanish Colonial style—a combination of European-influenced compositions and Christian symbolism with traditional indigenous imagery.
Below are highlights selected from Joslyn's Latin American collection.
Latin America
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Artist Unknown (Mexican, 18th century),
Our Lady of Guadalupe
, 18th century,
oil on copper, 16 7/8 x 12 7/8 in.; 42.9 x 32.7 cm
Gift of E. Kingman, 1957.113
Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most venerated religious image in Mexican culture. According to tradition, in 1531 the Virgin Mary twice appeared to an Indian named Juan Diego near Mexico City, instructing him to have the bishop of Mexico build a church at the spot. When presented to the bishop, roses that Juan Diego had been told to carry in his tilma (cloak) fell out and a miraculous image of the Virgin, clothed in the sun and standing on the moon, was found imprinted on the garment. This image, preserved in the Basilica of Guadalupe, became the model for countless copies, such as this one.
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Artist Unknown (Bolivian, late 18th century),
The Virgin of the Rosary
, late 18th century,
oil on canvas, 65 5/8 x 61 ¼ in.; 166.7 x 155.6 cm
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick H. Lowell, 1965.665
A distinctively New World type of Marian image is referred to as “dressed-statue” paintings. These are two-dimensional representations of popular religious statues with cloth garments that give the sculpted figure a triangular and often massive and rigid appearance. The custom of dressing statues can be traced to Spanish traditions that were imported to the colonies. Confradias (religious fraternities) often assumed responsibility for the maintenance of the garments, jewelry, and regalia — all donated to enhance a revered statue’s image — and several such organizations continue this tradition today. Frequently, “dressed-statue” paintings themselves were similarly adorned with real jewelry attached to the canvas.
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Artist unknown (Bolivian, 18th century),
Saint Michael (San Miguel)
, late 18th century,
oil on canvas, 61 x 42 ½ in.; 155 x 108 cm
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick H. Lowell, 1965.667
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Artist unknown (Bolivian, 19th century),
Virgin del Carmen (The Virgin of Mt. Carmel presenting a scapular medal to St. Theresa of Avila)
, ca. 1800–1820,
oil on canvas, 28 x 20 ¾ in.; 71.12 x 52.7 cm
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Frederick H. Lowell, 1965.661
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Artist unknown (Bolivian, 19th century),
Our Lady of the Wall retablo (la Virgen en el Paredon)
, 1866,
oil on tin, 7 x 4 ¾ in.; 17.8 x 12 cm
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Lowell, 1964.106
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Artist unknown (Bolivian, 19th century),
St. Isidore (San Isidro Labrador)
, mid to late 19th century,
oil on canvas, 32 ¼ x 27 ½ in.; 81.9 x 69.9 cm
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick H. Lowell, 1965.664
The patron saint of Madrid, St. Isidore the Farm-Laborer was also much revered in the Spanish colonies. Isidore was a poor peasant working for a master who begrudged him the time he devoted to religious observance. Once, when he was about to rebuke Isidore for neglecting his tasks, the master saw two angels doing his field work for him. This image identifies Isidore’s religious significance but otherwise depicts him as a contemporary peasant in knee-breeches and hat. Folk art elements like flat perspective and imperfect anatomy suggest that the painting is the work of a self-taught artist, perhaps of Indian heritage.
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Artist unknown (Bolivian, 19th century),
Our Lady of Sorrows
, 19th Century,
oill on canvas, 32 ¾ x 23 ¾ in.; 83.9 x 60.3 cm
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Lowell, 1964.113
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Artist unknown (Bolivian, 19th century),
The Virgin of the Milk (Virgen de la Leche); Flight into Egypt ((Huida a Egipto), ); Holy Family
, 19th century,
oil on canvas, 60 x 41 in.; 152.4 x 104.14 cm
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick H. Lowell, 1965.666
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Artist unknown (Bolivian, 19th century),
Saint Onuphrius (San Onofre)
, late 19th century,
oil on tin, 12 x 10 in.; 30.5 x 25.4 cm
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick H. Lowell, 1965.669
Saint Onuphrius, venerated by the hungry and the gravely ill, was a fourth-century hermit from the Thebaid Desert along the Upper Nile, where he lived alone from the age of ten. In constant prayer, he was sustained solely by bread and water brought to him by angels. After thirty years, God rewarded Onuphrius with a date palm and a spring of water from nearby rocks. Here the Holy Spirit takes the form of a dove bringing sustenance to the hermit as he kneels in devotion.
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