Saint Joseph holding the Christ Child
- Melchor Pérez Holguín, Bolivian, 1660-1732
- Born: cochabamba
- Work Locations: Potosi, Bolivia
Melchor Perez Holguin was a mestizo (half Spanish, half Indian) born in Cochabamba, Bolivia around 1665. He was trained as an artist in the European Baroque style, particularly influenced by Murillo and Zurbaran, and spent his life painting in Potosi where he had a large workshop. He is widely considered as the most skilled and influential colonial artist of Bolivia. His paintings were exported throughout South America.
This image of St. Joseph holding the Christ child and white lilies was painted by Holguin using a European print source, however the Christ child wears a woven belt in the Andean style, a distinctive New World addition. The use of gold leaf patterning in the halo and lace trim is exclusive to Cuzco and the surrounding highland areas of Bolivia.
-- Julie Wilson Frick & Donna Pierce, 2015
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