Novo-Hispanic school; second half of the 18th century.

Novo-Hispanic school; second half of the XVIII century.
"St. Joseph with Child".
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 21.5 x 16.5 cm; 33 x 27.5 cm (frame).
This representation of Saint Joseph with the Child is inscribed in the devotional production of the Novo-Hispanic school of the XVIII century, moment of maturity of the late baroque in the viceroyalty of the New Spain. The iconography presents Saint Joseph wearing a crown, an attribute that underlines his dignity as patron of the universal Church and custodian of Christ, in harmony with the strengthening of his cult during the Enlightenment.
The composition, of an intimate and affectionate character, privileges the paternal bond between the saint and the Child Jesus, emphasizing the tenderness and humanity of the scene more than its narrative dimension. The soft treatment of the faces, the chromatic richness and the delicacy in the folds respond to a baroque of refined sensibility, where the theatricality is attenuated in favor of a more domestic devotion and closer to the faithful.
In the historical context of New Spain, these images circulated widely in conventual and private environments, consolidating a religiosity centered on familiar models of virtue. The Novo-Hispanic school of the 18th century is characterized by the creative assimilation of European models, especially from the late Baroque, reinterpreted through local sensibilities, techniques inherited from the indigenous tradition and a deep symbolic charge. In this context, the Novo-Hispanic school developed its own language, recognizable by its expressive delicacy, its attention to detail and its ability to convey emotion without resorting to dramatic excesses.