Death of Saint Joseph

Death of Saint Joseph

c. 1625
Artist
unknown artist
Locale
Mexico City, Mexico
Country
Mexico
Object
painting
Medium
Oil paint on canvas
Accession Number
2009.762
Credit Line
Gift of the Collection of Frederick and Jan Mayer

Unknown artist, Death of Saint Joseph, about 1625. Oil paint on canvas; 73½ × 61½ in. Gift of the Collection of Frederick and Jan Mayer, 2009.762.

Dimensions
stretcher height: 73.5 in, 186.6900 cm; stretcher width: 61.5 in, 156.2100 cm; frame height: 85 in, 215.9000 cm; frame width: 73.5 in, 186.6900 cm
Department
Mayer Center, Latin American Art
Collection
Latin American Art

Shortly after the conquest of Mexico (1521), the Council of Trent took place in Europe (1543-1565). One of the outcomes of the Council’s views on art and theology included a stronger emphasis on the role of St. Joseph in church teachings. Simultaneously, missionaries in early colonial Mexico emphasized Joseph to Indigenous converts as a model for behavior as a Christian husband and father. Numerous Indigenous churches were named after St. Joseph, as were Indigenous babies. Emphasis on St. Joseph included details of his life. His death is considered the epitome of a “happy death” since his wife (Mary) and his son (Jesus) were (presumably) at his side.

Although the artist of this painting is as yet unidentified, there is a body of work associated with him. Previously these works were attributed to the great Mexican artist Luis Juárez, founder of a dynasty of painters in Mexico City that endured for two centuries. Recently, a series of paintings, including this one, have been re-attributed to an important artist close to Juárez, possibly a member of his family or his workshop.

– revised by Kathryn Santner, Frederick and Jan Mayer Fellow of Spanish Colonial Art, 2023

Known Provenance
Gifted 23 December 2009 by Frederick and Jan Mayer to the Denver Art Museum.
Exhibition History
  • Painting a New World: Mexican Art and Life 1521 - 1821, Denver Art Museum, April 3 - July 25, 2004.

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