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Lot Essay
Fray Miguel Melchor de Herrera was born in San Cristóbal de La Laguna in Tenerife, part of the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands, off the coast of Africa ca. 1700. At a young age, he joined the Augustinian order at the Monasterio del Espirítu Santo where he began his religious life as a friar and also commenced his artistic labors. In 1719, the young friar sailed to Nueva España, and although he never returned to his place of birth, he maintained contacts with his family and other members of his monastic order. Numerous paintings are still to be found in his birthplace in private collections including a series on the life of the Virgin Mary, as well as in the city of Seville where Sor Isabel Morero Caballero, founder of the religious house of the Santísima Trinidad in 1750, brought two of his paintings of the Virgin of Guadalupe. [1] In his adopted home in Mexico the friar remained active until 1780 producing paintings commissioned for churches, convents and private collections. Among his recognized masterpieces are St. Francis Xavier (1744) in the parish Church of Atlixco in Puebla; portraits of Doña María Josepha de Aldaco y Fagoaga (1746) and Pope Benedict XIII (1752); and works in the collection of the Museo Nacional de Historia at the Castillo de Chapultepec in Mexico City, among others.
In an era when faith was generally embraced and played a fundamental role in people’s lives, the painting of St. Michael the Archangel was a highly-desired devotional commodity for any prosperous home; this painting was probably commissioned for such use. A vibrant cult of angels existed in Spain and throughout its colonial territories. Saints and archangels especially, were intermediaries with special powers, and the faithful relied on their intercession for prayers to be heard and acted upon accordingly. Venerated since ancient times by the three Abrahamic traditions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam—St. Michael was not only commander of God’s legions, but he also offered spiritual protection and comforted his earthly followers in their daily struggles. He also served as a powerful reminder of the world to come as he held the mystical balances that would weigh the good deeds of their lives on Judgement Day.
Exquisite paintings such as this provided a striking vision of an otherworldly being soaring through the heavens. The warrior angel commands almost the entire canvas and aids in meditation as the devotee contemplates his image with his right hand pointing to the words “Quis ut Deus” (Who is like God?); the symbol of the Holy Trinity above his head from which golden rays emanate heralds a sure victory. His impressive regalia, which recall ancient Rome’s military dress, exhibits the Heavenly colors of blue and red of the Passion of Christ as his baton summons the faithful to attention. And, the sweet-faced cherubim provide the martial chorus for the impending combat. Such a powerful illustration of a battle-tested defender must have been a reassuring blessing in people’s lives.
Margarita Aguilar, Doctoral Candidate, The Graduate Center, New York.
1 Patricia Barea, “Los legados de pintura novohispana,” Tiempos de América, Revista de Investigaciones de América Latina, Revista de Historia, Cultura y, Territorio, Generalitat de Catalunya: Publicaciones de la Universitat de Jaume I, No. 13, 2006.
In an era when faith was generally embraced and played a fundamental role in people’s lives, the painting of St. Michael the Archangel was a highly-desired devotional commodity for any prosperous home; this painting was probably commissioned for such use. A vibrant cult of angels existed in Spain and throughout its colonial territories. Saints and archangels especially, were intermediaries with special powers, and the faithful relied on their intercession for prayers to be heard and acted upon accordingly. Venerated since ancient times by the three Abrahamic traditions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam—St. Michael was not only commander of God’s legions, but he also offered spiritual protection and comforted his earthly followers in their daily struggles. He also served as a powerful reminder of the world to come as he held the mystical balances that would weigh the good deeds of their lives on Judgement Day.
Exquisite paintings such as this provided a striking vision of an otherworldly being soaring through the heavens. The warrior angel commands almost the entire canvas and aids in meditation as the devotee contemplates his image with his right hand pointing to the words “Quis ut Deus” (Who is like God?); the symbol of the Holy Trinity above his head from which golden rays emanate heralds a sure victory. His impressive regalia, which recall ancient Rome’s military dress, exhibits the Heavenly colors of blue and red of the Passion of Christ as his baton summons the faithful to attention. And, the sweet-faced cherubim provide the martial chorus for the impending combat. Such a powerful illustration of a battle-tested defender must have been a reassuring blessing in people’s lives.
Margarita Aguilar, Doctoral Candidate, The Graduate Center, New York.
1 Patricia Barea, “Los legados de pintura novohispana,” Tiempos de América, Revista de Investigaciones de América Latina, Revista de Historia, Cultura y, Territorio, Generalitat de Catalunya: Publicaciones de la Universitat de Jaume I, No. 13, 2006.