Lot 147A
Latin America, Mexico, Spanish Colonial period, ca. 19th century CE. A lovely hand-painted copper nicho of Saint Cajetan (San Cayetano), the co-founder of the order of the Theatines Regular Clerks and the founder of numerous hospitals, wearing a holy cord and holding a lily while praying beneath a cross and crown of thorns. He wears the black robe of his order and a luxurious bejeweled chain thought to symbolize either his rejection of wealth since the Theatines took vows of poverty, his aristocratic upbringing as Count of Thiene, or his leadership of his order. The Crucifixion behind him refers to the mystical crucifixion he endured when Theatine brothers wanted to transport him from the hardwood floor that he slept upon to a proper bed. Saint Cajetan protested, "if hardwood is good enough for my Savior to die on then it is good enough for me." Size: 8.3" W x 11.1" H (21.1 cm x 28.2 cm)
According to scholar Gloria Fraser Giffords, "Saint Cajetan was greatly concerned with the corruption and indifference of Catholics during his lifetime. Although of a wealthy family and highly educated, he selected a religious life and was ordained when he was thirty-three years old in 1516. He re-founded a group called the Confraternity of the Divine Love, dedicated to the zealous promotion of the welfare of souls. No job was too menial for this group, who were small, select, and even aristocratic in composition. They strongly emphasized poverty and aiding the sick.
In 1527 Emperor Charles V sacked Rome. The Spanish soldiers, certain that the group was hiding great wealth, brutally tortured the members of the order, including Cajetan. The group fled to Venice, where Cajetan was selected as the leader of the Theatines. His humility became legendary, and stories of miracles multiplied during his own lifetime." ("Mexican Folk Retablos" revised edition by Gloria Giffords, p. 90)
Provenance: ex-private Pasadena, California, USA collection
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#180891
- Condition: Three perforations from previous display and possible added ornaments. Some light bending to copper plate, but otherwise intact and excellent with good remains of pigment and rich patina throughout.
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