The Virgin of the Rosary
unknown artist, The Virgin of the Rosary, ca. 1690, oil on canvas, Bequest of Elvin A. Duerst, public domain, 2010.25.3
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
The Virgin of the Rosary
- Artist
- Date
ca. 1690
- Period
Spanish Colonial
- Medium
oil on canvas
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
22 1/2 in x 18 1/4 in
- Collection Area
European Art
- Category
Spanish Colonial Art
Paintings
- Object Type
painting
- Culture
Bolivian
Peruvian
- Credit Line
Bequest of Elvin A. Duerst
- Accession Number
2010.25.3
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
The Virgin of the Rosary was popularized by the Dominican Order. The Rosary is a form of devotion named for the strand of beads used to count the component prayers, as here offered to the viewer by the Virgin. According to pious tradition, the Rosary was bestowed on Saint Dominic by the Virgin in 1214. The Dominicans monopolized the blessing of rosaries and commissioned many images of the Virgin for their churches.
The dressed statue in this painting is probably the one sent by the Spanish crown to the Church of Santo Domingo in Potosí, Bolivia, in the sixteenth century. Potosí is the site of the world’s largest silver deposit, which was a major source of Spanish wealth. The statue was shown standing on a crescent moon, a symbol of the Virgin's Immaculate Conception, and was festooned with strands of pearls, another treasure found in abundance in the New World. The painting’s original frame features mirrors inset into the carved and gilded wood, a technique used to decorate Andean churches.
- Exhibitions
2015 Art from the Andes: Spanish Colonial Paintings from the Elvin A. Duerst Bequest Portland Art Museum
