Seated Madonna with Graduation of the García Brothers

According to the art historian Francisco Stastny, in the Colonial period it was customary for students to have themselves portrayed at the foot of a votive image, to signal their gratitude for the successful conclusion of their academic studies. Undoubtedly, this canvas is the most important Peruvian example of this genre, and it is attributed to the indigenous master Marcos Zapata. It depicts two brothers; Bernardo García receives his doctorate, while his brother Alejandro receives his master’s degree. Both men are wearing red sashes bearing the royal crown; next to them are two graduation caps indicating their respective degrees. The youthful appearance of these brothers reflects the intellectual precocity of the Creole class, who tended to begin their studies at an early age. The two young men are kneeling at the feet of the enthroned Virgin Mary, known as the Seated Madonna, an image repeated –with few variations- in the same theme painted by Zapata in 1764 for the Almudena church in Cusco. The work is typical of the Cusco school of painting of the mid-eighteenth century, which Zapata helped to establish; the representation is ornamental, presented in a single plane and the palette is dominated by blue and red tones.