The Virgin of Loreto with the Archangel Michael and St. Joseph

Painting

-

Frances M. Maguire Art Museum

Spanish Colonial painting of The Virgin of Loreto with the Archangel Michael and St. Joseph.

Spanish Colonial painting of The Virgin of Loreto with the Archangel Michael and St. Joseph.

Name/Title

The Virgin of Loreto with the Archangel Michael and St. Joseph

Entry/Object ID

2003.6.1

Description

Spanish Colonial painting of The Virgin of Loreto with the Archangel Michael and St. Joseph. This Marian (relating to the Virgin Mary) devotional composition depicts a dressed statue of the Virgin of Loreto with the Christ Child, Joseph, and the Archangel Michael. Such paintings were a common tradition in colonial Spanish America, where statues of Mary were prominently placed in churches and revered. The Holy House of Loreto was believed to be where Mary’s birth and the Annunciation (Gabriel’s announcement she would bear the son of God) took place. Traditional stories recount how the house miraculously was transported by angels to Loreto, Italy, from Nazareth (present-day Israel). The Jesuits promoted the cult of the Virgin of Loreto in New Spain, where altars and entire constructions of the Santa Casa, the Virgin’s house, were erected in her honor. Este lienzo de devoción mariana (relativo a la Virgen María) muestra una estatua vestida de la Virgen de Loreto junto al Niño Jesús, san José y san Miguel arcángel. Los lienzos con estatuas pintadas fueron muy comunes en la América Virreinal y se colocaban en lugares prominentes de las iglesias para ser venerados. Se cree que fue en la Santa Casa de Loreto donde nació la Virgen María y donde el arcángel Gabriel le anunció que sería la madre de Dios (La Anunciación). La tradición da cuenta de cómo la casa fue milagrosamente trasladada por ángeles desde Nazaret (hoy Israel) hasta Loreto en Italia. Los jesuitas promovieron la devoción a la Virgen de Loreto en Nueva España, lo que explica la presencia de altares y edificios de la Santa Casa (la casa de la Virgen María) construidos en su honor.

Artwork Details

Medium

Oil

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Francisco Maria Antonio Vallejo

Attribution

Attributed to

Role

Artist

Time Period

18th Century

Notes

Marcus Burke attributed this work to Vallejo. But Clara Bargellini, upon seeing it in 2007, suggested that the artist was not Vallejo but Miguel Cabrera.

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Canvas

Height

21 in

Width

16 in

Dimension Description

Frame

Height

27-1/2 in

Width

22-1/2 in