Spanish school; century XVIII. Lot n° 14

Spanish school; 18th century. "The Virgin giving the Rosary to Saint Dominic de Guzmán". Oil on canvas. Re-retouched. It presents faults and repainting. Measurements: 73 x 54 cm. This canvas represents one of the most outstanding episodes of the legend of Saint Domingo de Guzmán, the apparition of the Virgin of the Rosary to the saint. With regard to the subject matter, it is worth mentioning that tradition, which began in the 15th century, tells us that the Mother of God herself taught Saint Dominic to pray the rosary in 1208, telling him to spread this devotion and use it as a powerful weapon against the enemies of the faith. Appearing in the chapel where the saint was praying, holding a rosary in his hand, he taught him to recite it, promising that many sinners would be converted and obtain abundant graces. St. Dominic went out of there full of zeal, with the rosary in his hand. He did indeed preach it, and with great success, bringing many Albingenses back to the Catholic faith. In the lower part of the scene there is a small dog carrying a torch in its jaws. This iconography alludes to the dream of Saint Dominic's mother, before he was born. After dreaming of a dog carrying a torch coming out of her womb, the mother made a pilgrimage to the monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos to find out the meaning of her dream. There it was revealed to her that a child would be born, whom she named Domingo, in honour of the monastery. Furthermore, in this case we can see the star on the forehead, which alludes to the saint's own legend, which tells how, at his baptism, this symbol appeared on the Dominican's forehead. Compositionally, the work follows classical precepts, defined by the figures inscribed in a triangle, occupying the central area of the scene. This is a common device in painting, which allows the scene to be easily read. As for the figures, the artist separates the plane where Saint Dominic is located from a higher celestial plane, defined by a wide break of glory, where the Crowned Virgin can be seen as the throne of Jesus. The Child also holds the rosary in his hands, and is grasped by his mother, who with the same hand holds the dove representing the Holy Spirit.