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Lot Essay
Images of the Virgin of Mercy were among the most popular subjects depicted in Spanish colonial art. While the origins of The Virgin of Mercy as visual type—that of a deity with arms outstretched to shelter devotees—can be traced as far back as ancient Rome, the earliest Christian accounts associated with this devotional image date to the early 13th century.1 The Madonna of Mercy later gained importance in the Iberian peninsula during the late Middle Ages, and proved a powerful symbol in the propagation of the Christian message in the Americas. The rising popularity of Marian devotional images is in large part attributed to mendicant orders, namely the Mercedarians, Franciscans and Dominicans, all of whom recognized the persuasive power of the so-called “cult of the Virgin” and were instrumental in the establishment of Spain’s territories in the Americas beginning in the 16th century.
In the present work, the Virgin stands, arms outspread, her cloak held up on either side by angels. God the Father, flanked by angels, is visible in the upper register, while ecclesiastical figures kneel below in devotion; here, the Virgin is thus presented as a visual link between the earth and heaven, or Church and Faith. The iconography in the scene places this work well-within the tradition of the Mercedarian Virgin of Mercy. Founded in the 13th century, by Saint Peter Nolasco and Saint Raymond Peñafort, Mercedarians originally dedicated themselves to saving Christians captured by the Moors and held for ransom in North Africa. The order grew in importance in subsequent years throughout the Iberian peninsula, which for centuries had been the site of brutal conflict and religious persecution under Moorish rule. By the 15th century, when Granada, the last Muslim stronghold of Al-Andalus, was taken by the Christians in the Reconquista, the Virgin of Mercy was extolled as a reminder of the Church’s struggle and eventual triumph in the region. During the Age of Exploration, and conquest and colonization of the Americas, the Virgin of Mercy took on new meaning, as guardian of the perilous voyage across the Atlantic and into the new world. By the 18th century, the Virgin of Mercy was widely venerated throughout the viceroyalty of Peru, her image used often in the consecration of churches and religious sites across the region, and also as commissioned paintings for private devotion. Certainly, her image would have resonated with the local clergy, to further legitimize Spain’s divinely-ordained mission in the land once ruled by the Incas and their many great gods. Indeed, this tender but commanding vision of the Virgin as heavenly mother, arms open to shelter and protect God’s children, serves as a persuasive evangelizing message, confirming the triumph of the Christian faith over all else, and offering the pious a promise of protection in this life and the next.
In the present work, the Virgin stands, arms outspread, her cloak held up on either side by angels. God the Father, flanked by angels, is visible in the upper register, while ecclesiastical figures kneel below in devotion; here, the Virgin is thus presented as a visual link between the earth and heaven, or Church and Faith. The iconography in the scene places this work well-within the tradition of the Mercedarian Virgin of Mercy. Founded in the 13th century, by Saint Peter Nolasco and Saint Raymond Peñafort, Mercedarians originally dedicated themselves to saving Christians captured by the Moors and held for ransom in North Africa. The order grew in importance in subsequent years throughout the Iberian peninsula, which for centuries had been the site of brutal conflict and religious persecution under Moorish rule. By the 15th century, when Granada, the last Muslim stronghold of Al-Andalus, was taken by the Christians in the Reconquista, the Virgin of Mercy was extolled as a reminder of the Church’s struggle and eventual triumph in the region. During the Age of Exploration, and conquest and colonization of the Americas, the Virgin of Mercy took on new meaning, as guardian of the perilous voyage across the Atlantic and into the new world. By the 18th century, the Virgin of Mercy was widely venerated throughout the viceroyalty of Peru, her image used often in the consecration of churches and religious sites across the region, and also as commissioned paintings for private devotion. Certainly, her image would have resonated with the local clergy, to further legitimize Spain’s divinely-ordained mission in the land once ruled by the Incas and their many great gods. Indeed, this tender but commanding vision of the Virgin as heavenly mother, arms open to shelter and protect God’s children, serves as a persuasive evangelizing message, confirming the triumph of the Christian faith over all else, and offering the pious a promise of protection in this life and the next.