TREASURES OF AL ANDALUS, OLD MASTERS, FINE ART AND ANTIQUES
Lot 82:
Large oil on canvas, measurements: 188 x 111. Composition in the form of a large sketch on canvas in a marked Novohispano Baroque style, where we observe, in the central plane, the Virgin with the Child in her arms, under her robes, San Antonio de Padua with the Child in her arms. On the left side, we see Saint Joseph with the Child in his arms, on the right plane, a beautiful image of Saint Teresa, and, finishing off the set, in the upper corner, the Risen Christ. All framed in a baroque altar with Solomonic columns and four temples, one for each image, finally, we observe the altar of the church decorated with floral offerings in the lower plane. Miguel Mateo Maldonado y Cabrera (San Miguel Tlalixtac, Oaxaca, February 27, 1695-Mexico City, May 16, 1768) was a New Spain painter, characterized for being one of the greatest exponents of Baroque painting of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Born in Antequera de Oaxaca in the year 1695 of unknown parents, he was the godson of a mulatto couple. He initiates his artistic activity until the year 1740, his main work is the Ascension of the Virgin, currently owned by the collection of the Morales de Altamirano family, Counts of Morales de los Ríos, Jaén, Spain. The Mariana dedication, and more specifically the Virgin of Guadalupe, are an essential part of his work; on this subject he wrote American Wonder and Ensemble of Rare Wonders Observed with the Direction of the Rules of the Art of Painting (1756). A detail, he made paintings for the chapels of the Cathedral of Mexico City, among them, the sacristy, which houses, on one of its walls, The Woman of the Apocalypse. He was a chamber painter for Archbishop Manuel José Rubio y Salinas and founder in 1753 of the first painting academy in Mexico. Miguel Cabrera is present in numerous Spanish public and private collections, such as the splendid series of castas in the Museo de América in Madrid, perhaps one of his masterpieces. In December 2008, this museum enriched its heritage with the acquisition of another three works by the painter. Appreciation and price in the art market for the works of Miguel Cabrera has grown vertiginously during the last quarter of the 20th century. In 2004, in Madrid, 150,000 euros were paid at a public auction for one of his works. However, markedly higher prices have recently been reported for some caste paintings painted on copper. Reference bibliography: Cruz Aguillón, Raúl. 1993. Master Don Miguel Cabrera. Mexico City: Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art of Mexico “Rufino Tamayo.”
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