On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Painted Altarpiece of the Virgin of Sorrows (Retablo fingido de la Virgen de los Dolores)
Attributed to Juan Patricio Morlete Ruiz Mexican
Not on view
The most important decorations in churches throughout the Hispanic world were altarpieces (retablos): large wooden structures, ornately carved and gilded, that framed paintings and sculptures. Because of the high cost of retablos, illusionistic paintings of them were sometimes commissioned as temporary substitutes. This painting, which likely formed part of a larger ensemble, was commissioned by Archbishop Manuel José Rubio y Salinas (r. 1749–65).
Painters were also called upon to design ephemeral architectural structures for public celebrations. Such works show how diversified the painters’ profession had become, in their handling of architectural vocabulary and drawing and their overall role as designers and decorators.
En todo el mundo hispánico la pieza principal de la decoración de los templos eran los retablos, grandes estructuras de madera ricamente tallada y dorada, que enmarcaban pinturas y esculturas orientadas a transmitir un mensaje religioso persuasivo. Los pintores eran a menudo los encargados de diseñar arquitecturas efímeras para las fiestas públicas, que incluían grandes pinturas ilusionistas de retablos fingidos.
Las obras de este género evidencian hasta qué punto llegó a diversificarse el oficio de los pintores, su manejo del dibujo y un conocimiento del vocabulario arquitectónico, así como su función global como diseñadores y decoradores. Esta obra, que seguramente formó parte de un conjunto mayor, fue encargada por el arzobispo Manuel José Rubio y Salinas (g. 1749–1765).
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