Unknown artist, Virgin of the Victory of Málaga (Nuestra Señora de la Victoria de Málaga), late 1600s or 1700s. Oil paint and gold leaf on canvas; 59 × 43¾ in. Gift of John C. Freyer for the Frank Barrows Freyer Collection at the Denver Art Museum, 1969.345.

height: 59 in, 149.86 cm; width: 43.75 in, 111.125 cm; frame height: 66.5 in, 168.91 cm; frame width: 50.5 in, 128.27 cm

In gold along bottom edge of canvas: "Nrasra. Lavitoria Dmalaga"

Mayer Center, Latin American Art

Latin American Art

This object is currently on view

Painted representations of sculptures of the Virgin Mary were common in both Spain and the Americas. The sculptures were believed to hold miraculous powers to aid the devout, and they were dressed in gold and silver cloth to express their holiness. In the painted versions, artists were careful to render the fine textiles and objects used to embellish the sculptures, as verisimilitude was important to worshipers who knew them only from paintings.

As indicated by the inscription along the bottom edge, this is a painting of a famous sculpture of the Virgin Mary from the city of Málaga in Spain. Although the artist is unknown, the canvas was painted in the Viceroyalty of Peru in the late 1600s or early 1700s. The extraordinary use of gold and silver for the textiles and architectural elements is characteristic of artistic centers in the Andean highlands, such as Cuzco and Potosí. The landscape fragments at the bottom indicate that the original canvas was larger and included scenes depicting miracles performed by the Virgin of Málaga.

Jorge F. Rivas Pérez, Frederick and Jan Mayer Curator of Latin American Art

Collected about 1922-23 in Cuzco, Peru by Maria Engracia Critcher Freyer [1888-1969]; by descent entered Collection of Mr. John Critcher Freyer [1923-1992], Denver, CO; gifted 24 October 1969 to the Denver Art Museum. Provenance research is on-going at the Denver Art Museum. Please e-mail provenance@denverartmuseum.org, if you have questions, or if you have additional information to share with us.

• Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA, July 1924-August 1926
• "Decorative Arts of Spain and Spanish America," Toledo Museum of Art, November 2-30, 1930
• Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., 1931-1939
• "Loan Exhibition of Latin American and Pre-Columbian Art, "Institute of Latin American Studies, University of Michigan, July 7-25, 1939
• "Three Southern Neighbors - Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia," Newark Museum, April 14-December 31, 1942
• "The Frank Barrows Freyer Collection of Spanish-Peruvian Paintings," Lowe Art Gallery, University of Miami, November 14, 1961-January 28, 1962
• "Treasures from Peru: Spanish Colonial Paintings from the School of Cuzco," Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, 1967
• "The Frank Barrows Freyer Collection of Spanish Peruvian Paintings in the Denver Art Museum," The High Museum of Art, December 7-29, 1969.