Mexican school; last third of the 18th centur... Lot n° 17

Mexican school; last third of the 18th century. "Dolorosa". Oil on copper. It has traces of illegible signature. It has faults in the painting. Measurements: 43,5 x 32 cm. In this devotional work the painter presents Mary as Mater dolorosa, placed on a neutral background that emphasizes the monumentality of the figure. The Virgin is portrayed at this moment after the death of her Son, suffering and feeling deep pain which is symbolically represented in the form of a sword piercing her heart. Devotion to the sorrows of the Virgin has its roots in medieval times, and was especially widespread among the Servite Order, founded in 1233. There are many and varied iconographic representations whose central theme is the Virgin Mary in her Sorrowful aspect, the first of which depicts her next to the Child Jesus, who sleeps oblivious to the future suffering that awaits him. The devotional image is inscribed in an oval around the perimeter of which the legend ECCE MATER TUA (Here is your mother) can be read. It is worth mentioning that, during the Spanish colonial domination, a mainly religious painting was developed, aimed at Christianising the indigenous peoples. Local painters were modelled on Spanish works, which they followed literally in terms of type and iconography. The most frequent models were harquebusier angels and triangular virgins; however, in the early years of the 19th century, at the time of independence and political openness in some of the colonies, several artists began to depict a new model of painting with its own identity.