Viceroyal school; 18th century.

Viceroyal-era school; 18th century.
“Virgin with Child Spinning.”
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 48 x 39 cm.
In this devotional work, the young Mary is depicted seated, spinning with a spinning wheel and a spindle. The iconography here refers to the Protoevangelium of James, one of the apocryphal gospels, which recounts how, as a child, Mary was entrusted by the priests with the task of weaving the Temple veil, which was torn when Jesus died. Furthermore, the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew recounts the Virgin’s mastery of woolwork during her youth. The work features a composition, drawing, and color scheme that correspond to the model created by the artist Juan Simón Gutiérrez (Medina Sidonia, Cádiz, 1643–1718), specifically the depiction of the same subject housed in the Prado Museum.
During the 18th century, this iconography became widely popular in the American viceregal territories, where models derived from Spanish painting were reinterpreted by local workshops. The viceregal school successfully combined the peninsular Baroque tradition with its own taste for rich colors, meticulous detail, and the delicacy of the figures, giving rise to images of intense devotional significance intended for both churches and convents as well as for private devotion. This work is fully in keeping with that tradition.