Saint John of the Cross

Throughout the neo-Hispanic period, the worship of the saints, of the Virgin and of Christ was widespread, and hence an endless number of pictures or sculptures of these figures was produced. Many of these pieces attracted especially fervent veneration due to the miracles attributed to them, and gave rise to pilgrimages to the churches where they were located. Moreover, it was believed that, when touched, they could have curative or other beneficial effects. Peoples longing to be continuously near these images gave rise to copies, know as true portraits", which attracted the faithful. These were small, inexpensive works, sometimes in the form of prints, which could be displayed in faraway churches. Such copying was particularly common in the case of sculptures, as in the case of the present work, a painting, probably based on a print of an original sculpture and commissioned by an immigrant from Spain, of Saint John the Baptist, a figure worshipped in the latter country. The saint, whose head is surmounted by a gilded-silver halo, displays his typical attributes, being dressed in a camel skin and carrying a lamb. His body rests on a pedestal, which in turn stands on an altar with a sumptuous hanging at the front and lace cloth on top. So realistic is this portrayal that even the vases decorating the altar have been painted, along with the outlines of the recess that housed the original sculpture and the curtains that framed it. a On each side of the altar, there are panels referring to the history of the piece, the reason why it was painted and the worshipper who commissioned it. This piece passed to the MUNAL from the San Diego Viceregal Painting Gallery in the year 2000.