ESCUELA VIRREINAL NEOGRANADINA, ATRIBUIDO A PEDRO JOSÉ DE FIGUEROA (BOGOTÁ, 1770 - 1838)La Virgen del Rosario de Chiquinquirá

Oil on canvas, 63 x 100 cm. The Virgin of the Rosary of Chiquinquira arises from a legendary event in the 16th century in Chiquinquira, Colombia. A deteriorated painting of the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus and Saint Anthony of Padua was found in a small chapel. Amazingly, this image was miraculously restored, being seen as a divine intervention and consolidating its devotion as patron saint of Colombia. In the painting, the Virgin holds the Child Jesus, accompanied by St. Anthony of Padua on her right side with a book on which the Child Jesus holds the world, and St. Andrew on her left side, with a cross in the shape of an X, symbol of his martyrdom, while reading the Holy Scriptures. The painter Pedro José de Figueroa was possibly a descendant of the outstanding painters of the 17th century Figueroa workshop and is considered one of the most important artists of the late 18th century in Colombia. The attribution of this work is based on comparisons with a similar piece in the collection of the Banco de la República de Colombia (inventory number AP6106).