The Blessing of the Table

The oeuvre of José de Alcíbar, a native of Texcoco, was produced between 1751 and 1803. His work shows a predilection For sweet, serene figures done in half-tones rather than contrasting colors, along with capable handling of the proportions of the human body, as can be appreciated in this painting. In the XVIIIth century, craftsmen devoted a lot of attention to portraying aspects of everyday life; in the present case, the meal being eaten by the Holy Family reminds us of the tradition of saying grace in the bosom of the family. The distorted perspective of the table allows us to glimpse the light meal being served, symbolizing the rejection of excess and the need to feed the soul rather than the body. The worn floorboard, the position of the table, the arms of the angels and the looks on the faces of the personages mark out the axes and the vanishing point which converges on the hand of Christ, who is symbolically blessing the food. The solemn bearing of the young Jesús reminds us of the blessing of the bread and wine at the Last Supper, thus converting this scene into a harbinger of the sacrament of the Eucharist. The rays of light emanated by Jesus remind us of the sun and symbolize immortality and Resurrection, linking these latter phenomena to the Eucharistic act. Some of the angelic figures adopt a devout bearing, while others carry out activities proper to the moment, such as serving the table, and our attention is captured by the two angels in the foreground who are taking flowers out of a basket to weave a garland. This detail breaks the strict symmetry of the composition and, in a measured way, bears witness to the XVIIIth century liking for showy decoration. Though its origins are unknown, this painting appears in the registers of the old San Carlos Academy in 1916, attributed to Miguel Cabrera. This work passed to the MUNAL from the San Diego Viceregal Painting Gallery in the year 2000.