Pedro Díaz, The Virgin and Child, 1770-80. Oil paint on canvas; 28½ × 26½ in. Gift of Carl Patterson, 2016.53.

frame height: 34 3/4 in, 88.265 cm; frame width: 32 3/4 in, 83.185 cm; image height: 28 1/2 in, 72.3900 cm; image width: 26 1/2 in, 67.3100 cm

Mayer Center, Latin American Art

Latin American Art

This object is currently on view

Active in Lima, Peru between 1770 and 1815, Pedro José Díaz is considered the most important painter of the late colonial period in Peru. Celebrated in his day, Díaz excelled in religious images and portraits. This early work, likely from the 1770s, demonstrates the influence of Díaz’s mentor Cristóbal Lozano (Lima, 1705-1776) who a few decades earlier renovated the painting tradition in Lima by skillfully blending French-inspired repertoires and palettes with the more severe style of late-17th-century Spanish painting.

This painting depicts the Virgin Mary richly dressed in blue, pink and green with the Child surrounded by small angels. The format suggests that this was probably created for domestic use.

― Jorge Rivas Pérez, Frederick and Jan Mayer Curator of Latin American Art, 2017

Gifted in November 2016 by Carl Patterson to the Denver Art Museum. 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.