Murals of Michoacán. Santiago Copándaro

 Shortly after construction began on the great priory at Cuitzeo, The Augustinians established the visita of Copándaro across the lake, to serve as a house of retreat as well as a way station for travelers journeying north from the capital at Morelia.

Laid out in the 1560s by Fray Gerónimo de la Magdalena, the architect of Cuitzeo, this little gem of a mission is a Plateresque showplace, likened by the Augustinian chronicler Diego de Basalenque to “a beautifully worked silver goblet.”

The Church

Although finely sculpted throughout, the church retains little of its early mural ornament. Traces of delicately drawn and colored grotesque friezes run along the nave and into the baptistry, weaving angels, serpents and religious insignia into a sinuous matrix of foliage.  

The Convento

The principal surviving fresco at Copándaro, at the north end of the arcaded portería, depicts the Spiritual Lineage of St Augustine. 
   In poor condition and partially erased, the mural is broadly similar to those at nearby Charo and at Atlatlahucan in Morelos, although closer in form to the Tree of Jesse model followed for other such murals, as at Zinacantepec. 

   The tree sprouts from the recumbent figure of the founder, the latter largely obliterated by the intrusion of a later doorway and now only identifiable by his disembodied episcopal miter. 

Rendered in a blue gray monochrome without the customary color, the mural portrays kings, nuns and martyrs of the Order perched on the spreading branches amid a variety of leaves , fruits, buds and blossoms.

In contrast, a partial Coronation of the Virgin at the other end of the portería glows with color. The Virgin rises through the clouds, escorted by angels, detailed in tones of blue and chestnut red.

  

The Cloister

Painted barrel vaults, crisscrossed by red ribs and blue, floating angel heads, cover the cloister walks.   Modern painted frames and friezes overlie and coexist with older friezes.

A few large narrative wall murals depict various scenes including what may be an Arrival of the Augustinian friars in the New World headed by St Augustine. Much overpainted at different times, it is difficult to discern or date the originals of these, if any, although the themes suggest an early colonial date.

  

Two other cloister murals of interest appear in the corner niches and lunettes at the end of the corridors. Of later colonial date, although possibly repainted, they are more folkloric in style and rendered in a variety of muted colors. The principal mural portrays Christ at the Column, gesturing towards a kneeling St Peter. An inscribed ribbon reads, Conversus Dominus respexit Petrum— “the Lord turned and looked at Peter" St Michael, resplendent in blues, red and eater tones, occupies another niche.   A crowded Via Crucis appears in the lunette above. A fallen but unperturbed Christ hefts the reddish brown cross accompanied by the traditional cast with peasant like faces and a mule.

In another lunette, is a dramatic scene of Abraham and Isaac in similar style and coloration.

text © 2019 by Richard D. Perry.  mural images by Niccolo Brooker

The Triumph of the Church: Rubens and Mexico

Previously we looked briefly at a series of grand colonial Mexican paintings depicting the Triumph of the Church, including those in the cathedrals of Oaxaca and Puebla (see below)  In this post we look at their principal European source: a painting by the influential Flemish artist, Peter Paul Rubens. 
   In 1626 Rubens completed one of the most important commissions of his lifetime, a suite of finished oil sketches referred to as the Triumph of the Eucharist series. The panels were commissioned by the Infanta Clara Eugenia, ruler of the Southern Netherlands and a member of the Spanish royal family, as studies for a suite of sumptuous tapestries to be hung in the Claras Descalzas Reales monastery in Madrid. 
   Although Rubens used the paintings as preparatory to his tapestry designs, they are exquisite works of art in their own right. The largest and best known of these compositions—one that has been copied or used as a basis for numerous other paintings including several in Mexico—is commonly known as The Triumph of the Church.

In the spirit of the Counter Reformation, Rubens conceived the theme as an affirmation of papal authority, framed pictorially as a Roman triumph.

The Church (Ecclesia), dressed in papal vestments, sits in an ornate gilded chariot, holding up a monstrance with the shining Host. An angel behind her is placing the triple Papal tiara on her head.

The chariot is drawn by three fine steeds ridden by angels carrying the symbols of victory (palms and laurel wreaths) Others blow horns. The horses are led by three figures in flowing robes, thought to represent the three Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope and Charity)  or perhaps three of the four Cardinal Virtues of justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude.

The lead angel on the white horse raises a canopy sheltering the silver and gold keys of St. Peter. 

The chariot wheels, encrusted with gems, crush the enemies of the Church in the form of sins, including one with a Medusa like hair (Envy) Two other figures, one blind and the other with asses’ ears (Blindness and Ignorance) stumble beside it.

The globe at the foot of the composition, ringed by a serpent eating its tail, symbolizes the eternal dominion of the Church.  The accompanying rudder, palm frond and oak branch, signify good government, victory and fortitude.

The Rubens paintings have been recently restored and have been exhibited in the Prado alongside some of the tapestries for which they were designed.

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Several versions of this theme by prominent colonial Mexican painters are modeled on the Rubens composition, although they vary in detail and fidelity, and are occasionally reversed:

The Triumph of the Church and the Eucharist
by Baltazar de Echave Rioja (1675)  in Puebla Cathedral.

The Triumph of the Church and the Sacrament 
by Marcial de Santaella (1735) in Oaxaca cathedral

The Triumph of the Eucharist (detail)  by Cristóbal de Villalpando (1684-5)
(Museo Regional de Guadalajara)

The Triumph of the Church and the Eucharist by Pascual Pérez
(Templo de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria y de Guadalupe, Xonaca. Puebla)

text © 2019 Richard D. Perry

See our other posts on Santaella, Pascual Pérez and Villalpando

San Sebastian in Mexican art 1.

This is the first of two posts on portrayals of St. Sebastian in Mexican colonial art. This post focuses mainly on depictions of the saint in early mural art. 
   Reportedly a Roman officer sentenced to be executed by arrows during the Christian persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian in the fourth century, this early Christian saint and martyr, is popularly depicted in Christian art, and also commonly features in Mexican colonial painting and sculpture.

Cholula

He is customarily portrayed as a young man tied almost naked to a post or tree, often with one arm upraised, and transfixed by arrows, often accompanied by the bowmen.
   In Mexico, Sebastian was seen as a protector against the plague, and his popularity may also relate in part to his visual connection with traditional Aztec arrow sacrifice (tlacacaliztli). He was also prominent among the patron saints of Puebla.
   The saint is depicted in a number of early, largely 16th century murals in monastery precincts, of which we display a selection below:

Culhuacan

Metepec

 

Oxtoticpac                    Tepeyanco

Tepeapulco

Tepeji del Rio

Tula

Zinacantepec

Portraits of St Sebastian continued later into the colonial period, some in traditional style but others more stylized, some reflecting underlying homoerotic sentiments and taste.

by Miguel de Mendoza (San Cristóbal Suchixtlahuaca)

Our second post, which deals with the depiction of the saint in sculptural images will be found on our sister blog.

text © 2019 Richard D. Perry

color images by the author, Niccolo Brooker and online sources

San Gabriel Cholula: two more early frescoes

In earlier posts on the exceptional murals at San Gabriel Cholula, we highlighted scenes from the life of St. Francis and a large Mass of St Gregory. Here we look at two other early frescoes of interest.

The Annunciation mural
The first is a fine, early triptych portraying the Annunciation, now located in an office on the second floor of the convento. 

Flanked by separate portraits of St. Francis and St. Anthony, the Virgin Mary, seated with an open book, receives the doves of the Holy Spirit, as the archangel Gabriel gestures towards Heaven—the only portrayal of its patron saint in the monastery to our knowledge. An urn of lilies, symbolizing her purity, stands prominently between the two.

The Baptism of Christ
The second fresco, a colorful Baptism of Christ is located in the old portal de peregrinos, now the Franciscan library, and was uncovered where the baptismal font may have been located during the early years of the evangelization. 

   A long Latin inscription unfolds in the ribbon above John the Baptist, who raises the baptismal chalice above the almost naked Christ. God the Father speaks from the clouds—"this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." 

   After restoration, its bright range of color, including putative Maya Blue, has reemerged.

text © 2019 Richard D. Perry

color images courtesy of Robert Jackson

The Charo Murals 3: The Refectory frescoes.

In the last of our three posts on the Charo murals we look at the remarkable Refectory Murals

The third great repository of mural painting at Charo lies in the high ceilinged refectory. The most recently uncovered, this extraordinary cycle of frescoes, some on rarely depicted subjects, extends around all four walls, showing a lighter touch and a more liberal use of color than the other Charo murals. 

The side walls of this large room are adorned with two tiers of panels, each framed by ornate painted pilasters, swagged borders and grotesque friezes.

Appropriately for a refectory, the principal panel on the end (west) wall depicts the Last Supper, in which white robed apostles with red hair lounge around a long table.  This is flanked by the related Feeding of the Five Thousand, as well as a Baptism of Christ.
   Beneath the Last Supper appears another portrayal of the Agony in the Garden, although less intense than the vestibule version.

Adoration of the Virgin and the Evangelists

A delicate fresco of the Adoration of the Virgin is painted beside the east wall, opposite the triumphal golden figure of the Archangel Michael wrestling with the Devil—the only portrayal of the patron saint to appear at Charo. 

The east wall is the most complex. An enormous but poorly preserved Calvary scene forms the centerpiece, flanked by portraits of the Four Evangelists, each seated pen in hand upon a throne with his identifying attribute. 

Located at lower right is a faded but dramatic fresco of Saul on the road to Damascus. In this scene, we see the dazzled future apostle being thrown violently from his frightened horse, as a reproach issues from Heaven on an unfurling banner. 

Finally, a cautionary mural appears above a window to the refectory. A lone friar clutching a large, red crucifix—possibly the young St. Augustine—is tempted by an angel on one side and the Devil on the other, both pointing to a scripture and holding out a quill holder and inkhorn—motifs we saw at Actopan. 
   Of the seven Augustinian monasteries of colonial Michoacán lauded by Fray Matias, San Miguel Charo far surpasses the grander priories of Cuitzeo and Yuriria in its mural decoration. It is to hoped that these historic murals, under threat from damp and water damage, will be speedily protected and restored for future generations.

Text © 2019 Richard D. Perry.

images by the author and courtesy of Niccolò Brooker and Robert Jackson.

The Charo Murals 2: The Cloister frescoes

For the second in our series on the Charo murals we consider the Cloister Frescoes

The cloister frescoes—some of them now only fragmentary—are the most dramatic at Charo, clearly designed to glorify the Augustinian order. 

 All the narrative panels are framed by painted Plateresque pilasters with lively grotesque friezes that incorporate sacred monograms and Augustinian emblems, linked by cornucopias, dancing cherubs and fantastical monsters—part dragon and part acanthus foliage.

Adjacent murals along the north walk illustrate the Spiritual Lineages of St. Augustine and his mother, St. Monica. Although such pictorial genealogies are not uncommon in mendicant monasteries, it is rare to find them paired in this way. 

Both murals use the classic medieval motif of the Tree of Jesse, in which a twisted tree rises from the chest of the now partly erased, reclining saint.  Along the spreading branches, birdlike Augustinian friars, nuns and prelates emerge from huge blossoms, each figure identified by an inscribed banderole, now generally illegible. 

The Genealogy of St. Monica is lighter and less crowded than that of St. Augustine, permitting more anecdotal detail. The black-robed sisters share their branches with a large crow? and numerous over-sized buds and pomegranates.

Along the south and west walls of the cloister, a sequence of dynamic scenes unfolds depicting the grisly fate of historic Augustinian martyrs. 

In graphic tableaux, deftly sketched in contrasting black and white tones, tonsured friars in black habits are variously speared or transfixed by arrows at the hands of brutal persecutors in white military togas.

Youths stone one stoic brother, while pious female onlookers sink to their knees in grief or prayer. Other meek friars are dragged one by one to their beheading, by a trio of muscular executioners under the merciless eye of a pagan potentate. (Calvary scene inset)

In another tableau, several friars stand in a giant cauldron atop a flaming fire, beside them a crowd of black robed Augustinians being set upon by their tormentors. The only other large cauldron appears in the Last Judgment mural at Acolman.
   Unfortunately, the murals that occupied the corner niches of the cloister have been erased, except for the single fragment of an Ecce Homo in the southeast corner, which may indicate that the Passion cycle continued from the vestibule into the cloister at one time.

The “Thebaida” mural
The remaining large mural along the east walk, although only partial, seems to represent the Eremitic Life—a reference to Augustinian beginnings in the desert hermitages and monastic communities of “Thebaida,” a remote province of Egypt.

Here, black robed friars engage in various activities against a wooded landscape.
   This favorite Augustinian subject was frequently illustrated in the monasteries of the New World, where their missionary enterprise was viewed as a religious undertaking of equal significance to the early history and expansion of the Order—a theme embroidered by Fray Matías de Escobar in his baroque treatise Americana Thebaida, where he compares the seven Augustinian monasteries of Michoacán to the seven legendary pyramids of Egypt, and praises the architectural and spiritual harmony of Charo, where he once served as a well loved prior.

Text © 2019 Richard D. Perry.

images by the author and courtesy of Niccolò Brooker and Robert Jackson.