Another Last Judgment: Ziracuaretiro

In our previous post on the church of Jarácuaro we described a hybrid painting of the Last Judgment hanging in the nave, with special mention of its portrayal of musicians, both angelic and demonic.

    A related painting, also notable for its detailed portraits of musicians, now hangs in the modern village church at nearby San Andrés Ziracuaretiro, "the place where the warmth ends and the cold starts." 

Like the Jarácuaro canvas, it is divided into three tiers. The lowest tier is the most dramatic, showing agonized souls in Purgatory and the dark underworld, some trapped in a cage—a striking touch.

 

Souls in Hell suffer torments inflicted by hideous demons and, as at Jarácuaro, a guitar playing devil seems to mock the sufferers.

As at Jarácuaro too, Christ Crucified dominates the crowded middle tier flanked by joyful hosts of the Elect and the Redeemed, with several noted saints and martyrs including saints Barbara and Catherine.

 
St. Catherine with her wheel, and St. Barbara with her tower.

Again, the Holy Trinity presides over the lively top tier, above a group of angelic musicians playing a variety of period instruments including a harp, bass guitar, horn, flute and once more a table organ.

 

A horned figure (Moses?) lays his hand on the arm of the harpist (King David?)

Dated 1830 by a partial inscription, the similarity of this remarkable painting to that at Jarácuaro strongly suggests a work by the same artist(s). It merits restoration to conserve its fine artistic quality as well as its intriguing details.

text © 2018 Richard D. Perry

color images courtesy of Robert Starner

Our thanks to Robert Starner, distinguished scholar of the pictorial representation of music, musicians and instruments in Mexican colonial art, for bringing this painting to our attention and providing the images on this page.

Please review our other posts with mention of the Last Judgment: El Llanito; Totimehuacan; Suchixtlahuaca; Huaquechula; Yanhuitlan; Xoxoteco; Actopan; Cuitzeo; Ixmiquilpan; Jarácuaro; 

Jarácuaro: The Last Judgment

In a post on our sister site, we looked at the exotic exterior stone carving of the church of San Pedro Jarácuaro, beside Lake Patzcuaro in Michoacán.

In this post we look inside the church. First we are impressed by the curved wooden ceiling that spans the nave—recently repainted sky blue and dotted with colorful new murals depicting scenes from the life of St. Peter, the church patron.

The Last Judgment
But our main interest here is a colonial art work of special note—a large painting (not a mural, sorry!) in poor condition and part of a former altarpiece. Its subject is an unorthodox Last Judgment combined with a Las Animas (Souls in Purgatory) scene. 

As is typical of Last Judgment tableaux, the scene unfolds in distinct tiers. A murky Holy Trinity sits in the curved pediment above, while Christ on the cross occupies the center—an unusual portrayal of Jesus in Last Judgment scenes. 

   He is flanked by ranks of the Elect on one side and—a special delight—an orchestra of musical angels on the other, playing period instruments including a cello, flute, horn and a pipe organ.  

 

Below, on the left, Souls in Purgatory gesture in hope for mercy from the flames, while opposite, the Condemned in Hell are tormented by devils. A guitar playing siren seems to enjoy the suffering. 

A partial, dated inscription contains a dedication and the name of the artist—thought to also be the author of a related Last Judgment panel at nearby Ziracuaretiro.

text © 2018 Richard D. Perry

color images by the author and courtesy of Robert Starner

Thanks to Robert Starner, the distinguished scholar of the pictorial representation of music, musicians and instruments in Mexican colonial art, for bringing this painting to our attention and providing several of the images on this page.

Please review our other posts with mention of the Last Judgment: El Llanito; Totimehuacan; Suchixtlahuaca; Huaquechula; Yanhuitlan; Xoxoteco; Actopan; Cuitzeo; 

Ixmiquilpan;

for more on the churches around Lake Patzcuaro consult our guide book to West Mexico