Novo-Hispanic school; XVIII century.

Novo-Hispanic school; XVIII century.
"Virgin of Refuge.
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 50 x 40 cm; 64 x 52 cm (frame).
This representation, known as Virgin of the Refuge of the Sinners, translates in sensitive form one of the invocations of the litany lauretana, Refugium peccatorum, linked to the cult arisen around the Holy House of Loreto and to the exaltation of the intercessory virtues of Mary.
The origin of this devotion is located at the end of the 17th century in Italy, specifically in Frascati, near Rome. According to tradition, the Jesuit Antonio Valdenucci longed for a Marian image to accompany him on his missions as a spiritual guide and visible emblem of divine protection. He commissioned a modest painter to make a copy of the so-called "Madonna dell'Encina", whose bas-relief was venerated in Poggio. Thus converted into an almost miraculous image, it was placed in the tabernacle of the missionary and set out with him on an itinerary that would take it to travel through towns on the American continent, where it was reproduced and reinterpreted in multiple versions before returning to Frascati.
In New Spain, the devotion reached an extraordinary success. The Virgin of Refuge became a close and accessible protector, venerated by the Creole elite as well as by the popular and indigenous sectors. Cities such as Puebla, Zacatecas and the Bajío regions welcomed her cult with fervor; in Puebla, towards the end of the viceregal period, there were dozens of street niches dedicated to this devotion, an eloquent testimony of its urban and daily roots.
This fervor was also translated into a notable pictorial production. The iconography was cultivated by outstanding masters of the Mexican school, among them José de Alcíbar and José Páez, whose versions are very close to the model evoked here. In all of them, the tenderness of the bond between Mother and Son, together with the majesty of the crowns and the chromatic refinement, converts the image into a perfect synthesis of affection and spiritual royalty: a Mother who, elevated in dignity, offers herself at the same time as universal protection for sinners.