Anonymous Jesuit priest (Spanish, ca. 1850). This rare painting, by a Jesuit priest serving in colonial South America, possibly Peru, portrays adoring angels crowning Mary as a saint. Mary cradles Christ in her left hand while holding an angel by the arm with her right. The work is reminiscent of devotional paintings found throughout Central and South America that employed iconography derived from traditional Catholic Church art. Though by an anonymous artist, the painting demonstrates fine execution and would likely have been a prominent feature near the altar.
