This charming mid-18th-century Cuzco School oil painting depicts the Virgin Mary as Nuestra Señora de la Bella, Our Lady of Beauty. It’s a devotional image, much revered across colonial Peru, and it represents a blending of Catholic iconography and local indigenous beliefs.

Amid an ensemble of flora, she stands crowned before a celestial halo. In her left hand, the Christ Child, in her right, three roses, a symbol of purity, love, and divine grace. Her attire, a triangular robe, forms a bell-shaped silhouette - to Catholics, a representation of the Trinity, to Andeans, a reference to Pachamama. It’s a fascinating glimpse into ‘Andean syncretism’, the fusion of two faiths.

This interesting sense of duality, whereby such evident Catholic symbols are merged with local deities, underpins much of the works we see of Cuzco origin. European-trained artists and missionaries brought devotional models to Peru, where regional painters adapted them with their own sensibility.

Pachamama, or ‘Mother Earth’, was considered the goddess of fertility and the natural world, and as such, somewhat abstract compared to the structure of Catholicism. However, by assuming a triangular form, she could be interpreted as a mountain, thus grounding the image in nature. Towards the bottom, an inscription reads “Ntra. Sra. de la Bella”, Nuestra Señora de la Bella (Our Lady of Beauty). This resonates with Catholics, yet her visual appeal is encompassing.

It’s a survivor, around 270 years old, and imbued with a gentle glow - still radiant with faith and the enduring spirit of the earth.

Held in a later frame.

We've drafted a research paper on this piece. For more information, please contact us.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 25” x 31” / 64cm x 79cm
Year of creation: c. 1750
Provenance:  Private collection, France.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Canvas relined. One minor stretcher mark. Slightly undulant. Later stretcher. Craquelure throughout. The paint layer is stable. Frame in excellent condition.
Our reference: BRV2156