The Holy Family (La Sagrada Familia)

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The Holy Family (La Sagrada Familia)

Mexico, late 17th-early 18th century
Paintings
Oil on panel
12 7/8 × 17 3/4 in. (32.7 × 44.1 cm)
Purchased with funds provided by the Bernard and Edith Lewin Collection of Mexican Art Deaccession Fund (M.2008.118)
Not currently on public view

Provenance

George Mitchell, London, 1905; by inheritance to private collection; Christie’s, New York, April 6, 2006, lot 214; Derek Johns Ltd., London, 2006; LACMA, 2008.

Label

Nicolás Rodríguez Juárez clearly intended his Holy Family to elicit a pious reaction.

...

Nicolás Rodríguez Juárez clearly intended his Holy Family to elicit a pious reaction. Viewers directly meet the tender gazes of Mary and the Christ Child as they receive the infant’s blessing. The omission of spatial and temporal markers heightens the intimate, emotional power of the small icon—signed by the artist on the back.

Nicolás Rodríguez Juárez descended from one of the most important dynasty of painters in New Spain (he was the grandson of José Juárez and the great-great-grandson of Luis Juárez). Prior to becoming a priest, he was a prolific artist and active member of the painters guild, which also included the celebrated Juan Correa and Cristóbal de Villalpando. Along with his brother Juan Rodríguez Juárez, he established the first academy for artists, around 1722, to elevate the status of painting.


From exhibition Archive of the World, 2022 (for more information see the catalogue entry by Paula Mues Orts in the accompanying publication, cat. no. 16, pp. 107–09)
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Bibliography

  • Katzew, Ilona, ed. Archive of the World: Art and Imagination in Spanish America, 1500–1800: Highlights from LACMA’s Collection. Exh. Cat. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; New York: DelMonico Books/D.A.P., 2022.

Exhibition history

  • Archive of the World: Art and Imagination in Spanish America, 1500–1800 Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, June 12, 2022 - October 30, 2022
  • Archive of the World: Art and Imagination in Spanish America, 1500–1800 Nashville, TN, Frist Art Museum, October 20, 2023 - January 28, 2024