oil on copper with silver frame

Galerías La Granja, Mexico City
Manuel Santaella, Caracas (acquired from the above, 1943)
Thence by descent to the present owner

Carlos F. Duarte, Catálogo de obras artísticas mexicanas en Venezuela, Mexico City, Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas/Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 1998, p. 75, no. 82, illustrated

Under ultraviolet light the copper displays intermittent inpainting along the edges. There is also a 1/2 in. spot of inpainting in the upper right quadrant (5 in. from the top and 4 in. from the right). There are a few other minor spots of inpainting throughout the work. There are a few scattered losses throughout the work. There are also several minor cracks in the copper, measuring from 1/8 in. to 1/2 in. along the left and right edges. There is also a 1/2 in. diagonal crack in the upper left quadrant (6 in. from the top and 1 in. from the left). The silver frame is in excellent condition with very slight tarnishing to the silver. Overall this work is in very good condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In 1754 Pope Benedict XIV issued a Papal decree declaring the Virgin of Guadalupe as the Patroness of the Viceroyalty of New Spai🌸n with a feast day in her honor on the 12th day of December. At the time the Viceroyalty of New Spain not only encompassed present day Mexico, but also included California, much of the southwestern United States, Guatemala and El Salvador.

 

The present image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, encircled by seven medallions depicting episodes of her apparitions to Juan Diego in 1531, with the figures of Pope Benedict and the Allegory of New Spain at her feet, is based on a widely circulated print by the brothers Klauber of Ausberg, Germany (then part of the Spanish Empire) which had been commissioned by the Jesuit Order to celebrate the Papal Decree. There are at least twelve ver🦩sions known of this composition, some done by the foremost artists of the day including Juan Patricio Morlete y Ruiz and a monumental version venerated in the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Pilar in Guadalajara. The present version is signed with the initials T.PM. y C.P.V.M.

The frame embossed and chased with Rococo ornament including palms, ruffled scrolls and flowers on malted ground. 🍒The top centered by an openwork silver gilt crowned monogram of many within a nimbus. All with flower head screws. The inner border chased with running foliage and flower head. The scroll candle branches with faceted scones.

 

Marked 4 times ܫwith city mark, assayer mark. Lower panel with assay scrape.

(Jose Antonio Lince (1779-88) and eagle)