Arellano, Virgin and Child Giving the Rosary to Saint Dominic Guzman, about 1700. Oil paint on canvas; 49½ × 38½ in. Gift of the Collection of Frederick and Jan Mayer, 2013.348.

frame height: 59 7/8 in, 152.0825 cm; frame width: 48 1/2 in, 123.1900 cm; frame depth: 2 3/4 in, 6.9850 cm; image height: 49 1/2 in, 125.7300 cm; image width: 38 1/2 in, 97.7900 cm

signed, lower right "Arellano"

Mayer Center, Latin American Art

Latin American Art

Saint Dominic Guzmán (1170-1221), founder of the Dominican Order, is credited with introducing the use of the rosary to Marian devotions. The iconography of this painting shows the Virgin handing a rosary to him. Lying on the ground next to the saint are some of his traditional attributes the lily and a book. Images of Dominic receiving the rosary were popular in the Americas because of the strong presence of the Dominican order there.

Several members of the Arellano family were active as painters during the transition from the 1600s to 1700s. Although most of their signed works bear only the surname "Arellano," two painters have been identified from documents: Antonio, the father, and Manuel, his son. In addition, several paintings are signed "the mute Arellano.” A certain José de Arellano, whom some scholars have conjectured may belong to the family dynasty, has yet to be documented in connection with any known painting. The relationship of these latter figures to Antonio and Manuel is still unclear.

This painting is signed "Arellano" and is attributed to Manuel Arellano who was active from around 1691 until at least 1722. He is identified in documents as a "Master Painter" and contracted apprentices in 1703 and 1717. The museum also holds another work by Manuel Arellano, the Birth of the Virgin (2014.214).

– revised by Kathryn Santner, Frederick and Jan Mayer Fellow of Spanish Colonial Art, 2023

Frederick and Jan Mayer, Denver, CO, purchased 2002; gifted to the Denver Art Museum, November 25, 2013.

• Exhibited 2005, "Patronato, Painting from Baroque Mexico: Selected Works from the Collection of Frederick and Jan Mayer," Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ
• "Collecting a New World: Spanish Colonial Art from the Jan and Frederick R. Mayer Collection," Apr 2-May 14, 2005, Lamont Gallery, Phillips Exeter Academy
• "Heaven and Earth: The Jan and Frederick Mayer Collection of Spanish Colonial Art from the Denver Art Museum, Jun 16-Oct 8, 2006, Museo de las Americas, Denver