Although little is known about Joaquín Caraballo’s origins, he left behind a small group of works modeled after Melchor Pérez Holguín’s (c. 1660–c. 1732) highly expressive figures. This sacred conversation depicts the Virgin and Child surrounded by saints traditionally invoked against disease; they likely held special resonance for the inhabitants of Potosí, Bolivia, who had suffered several devastating epidemics. The composition is animated by uncanny details, such as the meticulously rendered features of the saints and their vestments, the ripe pomegranate, and the rock crystal of Francis of Paola’s reliquary. The brilliant color scheme generates much of the picture’s power.

• 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.
• Stratton-Pruitt, Suzanne L., ed. The Art of Painting in Colonial Bolivia. Philadelphia: Saint Joseph’s University Press, 2017.