Christ of the Earthquakes (Señor de los Temblores or Taytacha Temblores)

Christ of the Earthquakes (Señor de los Temblores or Taytacha Temblores)

1700s
Artist
unknown artist
Locale
Cuzco, Peru
Country
Peru
Object
painting
Medium
Oil paint on canvas
Accession Number
1969.346
Credit Line
Gift of John Critcher Freyer for the Frank Barrows Freyer Collection

Unknown artist, Christ of the Earthquakes (Señor de los Temblores or Taytacha Temblores), 1700s. Oil paint on canvas. Gift of John Critcher Freyer for the Frank Barrows Freyer Collection at the Denver Art Museum, 1969.346.

Dimensions
height: 54.5 in, 138.4300 cm
Department
Mayer Center, Latin American Art
Collection
Latin American Art

Although the artist is unknown, this painting was made in the 1700s in Spanish South America, most likely in Cuzco, Peru. It depicts the miraculous statue of the crucified Christ that presides over a side chapel in the Cathedral of Cuzco, known as “Christ of the Earthquakes” or “Señor de los Temblores” in Spanish. The name refers to the statue’s most significant miracle. In 1650, a massive earthquake hit Cuzco that threatened to destroy the entire city. Various stories describe how the tremors stopped only when the statue was processed through the streets as an appeal to God and the Virgin Mary. Over the next century the statue came to be credited with additional miracles and secured its place as one of the most important devotional images in Cuzco and the greater southern Andean region.

This picture is a type of painting commonly referred to as a “statue painting,” since it represents a specific miracle-working sculpture in a two-dimensional painted format. Statue paintings, such as this one, provided worshippers with the ability to offer devotion to important sculptures from afar. They were also understood as embodying the numinous powers of the original image and could even work miracles in their own right. In the late 1700s and 1800s, as the sculpture of Christ of the Earthquakes consolidated its powers in the Cuzco region, individuals commissioned paintings of the renowned image for display in their private homes and chapels. This painting represents the sculpture of Christ of the Earthquakes installed upon a wood processional platform, flanked by the figures of the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Evangelist. Offerings of candles and lush bouquets in crystal vases sit at the statue's base. The elaborate floral arrangements include flowers that were important in both Christian and Andean religious traditions. For example, lilies, roses, and anemones can be seen on either side of Christ, while the red, trumpet-shaped blossoms along the bottom edge of the canvas likely represent ñucchu and cantuta flowers, which are native to the Andes.

--Sabena Kull, 2017-18 Mayer Fellow for Spanish Colonial Art

Known Provenance
Gifted 24 October 1969 to the Denver Art Museum by Mr. John Critcher Freyer [1923-1992], Denver, CO. Provenance research is on-going at the Denver Art Museum. Please e-mail provenance@denverartmuseum.org, if you have questions, or if you have additional information to share with us.
Exhibition History
  • "Decorative Arts of Spain and Spanish America," Toledo Museum of Art, November 2-30, 1930
  • Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., 1931-1939
  • "Loan Exhibition of Latin American and Pre-Columbian Art, "Institute of Latin American Studies, University of Michigan, July 7-25, 1939
  • "Three Southern Neighbors - Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia," Newark Museum, April 14-December 31, 1942
  • "The Frank Barrows Freyer Collection of Spanish-Peruvian Paintings," Lowe Art Gallery, University of Miami, November 14, 1961-January 28, 1962
  • "Treasures from Peru: Spanish Colonial Paintings from the School of Cuzco," Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, 1967
  • "The Frank Barrows Freyer Collection of Spanish Peruvian Paintings in the Denver Art Museum," The High Museum of Art, December 7-29, 1969.

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