The Virgin of the Rosary with Saint Dominic and Saint Francis
The Virgin of the Rosary with Saint Dominic and Saint Francis by an Anonymous Colonial Artist.
This richly colored devotional painting presents the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Rosary, standing majestically upon a crescent of clouds and surrounded by a multitude of cherubim. She holds the Christ Child in her arms while extending a rosary toward Saint Dominic of Guzmán, kneeling at her right. Dominic receives the beads with reverence, immediately identifying the central devotional theme of the composition: the close association between the Dominican Order and the Rosary. From the sixteenth century onward, the Rosary became one of Saint Dominic's principal attributes, and representations of the Virgin presenting the beads to him became increasingly widespread. Museo del Prado
At Mary's opposite side kneels Saint Francis of Assisi, who turns toward the Christ Child in an intimate gesture of veneration. The unusual pairing of the two founders is significant: although Dominic and Francis belonged to different religious orders, both Dominicans and Franciscans played an important role in the propagation of Marian devotion throughout the Catholic world. The composition therefore brings together the founders of two of the most influential mendicant traditions beneath the protection of the Virgin. Above Mary appears God the Father, while the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove completes the representation of the Trinity. The numerous winged cherub faces emerging from the clouds further transform the scene into a vision of the heavenly court. Continue reading after advertisement
The painting's brilliant gold ground, saturated reds and deep blues, patterned garments, stylized clouds, and highly frontal arrangement immediately evoke the decorative vocabulary of colonial religious art. The extensive use of gold is particularly important: gold leaf and other gilding techniques were widely employed in Spanish American religious art to heighten the supernatural character of sacred figures and create a dazzling devotional effect. Comparable lavish use of gold is especially characteristic of the Cuzco School, while richly colored and gilded Marian imagery was also an important feature of New Spanish painting.
This image is a public domain image, which means either that copyright has expired in the image or the copyright holder has waived their copyright. Franciscan Gallery charges for the access to high resolution copy of the image. Manually restoration was necessary in order to improve quality, without covering the original image.
Comments
Post a Comment