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拍品专文
From an early age Isabel Flores de Oliva demonstrated a clear calling to the Christian faith. Born in 1586 to María Oliva, a criolla or mestiza and a native of Lima, and Gaspar Flores, a criollo from San Juan Puerto Rico and of Spanish ancestry, “Rosa” as she was nicknamed for her beauty, is regarded among the Catholic saints as a paradigm of religious devotion. As a young girl, Rosa prayed and fasted daily, and performed severe penances in secrecy. Dismayed by her budding beauty that attracted the attention of many suitors, Rosa cut her hair short and marred her face; rejecting marriage and instead taking a vow of chastity, she lived much of her adolescence secluded in her room in daily prayer. She continued her ritual fasting and further abstained from eating meat altogether. Rosa wanted to become a nun, but her parents rejected her pleas; nonetheless when she turned 20 she devoted herself to the Third Order of St. Dominic and continued her commitment to the Lord. It is said that she slept only two hours each night to have more time for prayer and penance. She also took to wearing a heavy silver crown with spikes on the inside that at times pierced her flesh, resembling the Crown of Thorns that Jesus wore leading up to his crucifixion. Upon her death at the age of 31—a death that she purportedly predicted—the Bishop of Lima, extolled her great virtues and exemplary life as a model for all Christians.
Despite never having formally joined a convent, Santa Rosa is often pictured wearing a nun’s habit—testament to her steadfast religious conviction. In the present work, the holy woman wears the habits of her order, but with the additional delicate embellishments of gold brocading throughout, placing this work within the Cuzco School tradition of painting. In a tender moment between the two, Rosa holds the Christ child in her arms, who in turn offers her a rose. Here, the Saint’s crown of thorns is replaced with a delicate garland of roses. Behind her, more roses grow while light from the heavens shine down on the miraculous scene, replete with references to Rosa’s physical beauty and purity. The parallels between this scene and other Marian devotional images depicting the Virgin and Child are precise; as the first native saint of the Americas and of mixed race nonetheless, she is extolled at a level that rivals that of the Virgin herself. Santa Rosa was so widely venerated throughout Spain’s territories that she was named the Patron Saint of Peru and South America even before her canonization in 1671.
Despite never having formally joined a convent, Santa Rosa is often pictured wearing a nun’s habit—testament to her steadfast religious conviction. In the present work, the holy woman wears the habits of her order, but with the additional delicate embellishments of gold brocading throughout, placing this work within the Cuzco School tradition of painting. In a tender moment between the two, Rosa holds the Christ child in her arms, who in turn offers her a rose. Here, the Saint’s crown of thorns is replaced with a delicate garland of roses. Behind her, more roses grow while light from the heavens shine down on the miraculous scene, replete with references to Rosa’s physical beauty and purity. The parallels between this scene and other Marian devotional images depicting the Virgin and Child are precise; as the first native saint of the Americas and of mixed race nonetheless, she is extolled at a level that rivals that of the Virgin herself. Santa Rosa was so widely venerated throughout Spain’s territories that she was named the Patron Saint of Peru and South America even before her canonization in 1671.