Colonial School. Charcas. Bolivia. Possible attribution to Cristóbal de Aguilar (Lima, 18th century)

"Portrait of the Cornejo Sancho Family"Oil on canvas. Dated 1754.245 x 317 cm.This lot has a valid export permit from the Spanish Ministry of Culture.An extensive and well-documented study by Dr. Clara Zamora Meca is attached. In it, she mentions the possible attribution to the painter Cristóbal de Aguilar. "It is possible to attribute it to Cristóbal de Aguilar, a portraitist who worked in Lima in the second half of the 18th century, a contemporary of Cristóbal de Lozano. His best-known painting is the portrait of Viceroy Amat, painted in 1771 for the Nazarene Monastery. The chronology of his known artworks ranges from 1745 to 1769, some are signed and others attributed."Furthermore, it is relevant that Cristóbal Aguilar was a painter who specialised in portraying members of the Lima nobility and the political elite of the Viceroyalty of Peru. It is logical to assume that the commission of such an important painting by a well-known personality in the period would have been entrusted to one of the best artists of the time. Despite not being signed (as was the case in most instances), its authorship cannot be anonymous.This is an exceptional Lima painting of enormous interest from both a historical, artistic, and iconographic point of view, and because of the extremely interesting information that the painting itself provides, reflecting the different social strata, the Marian invocation that presides over it, the detailed depiction of each character with their personal information, and the union of both continents depicted in the family's transposition to the New World (through two of its members). The information is obtained through the commission of this portrait, as well as the information provided by the study of the painting by Dr. Clara Zamora, which includes data extracted from, the Archivo de Indias or the Archivo Municipal de Arganda, among others.Interesting documents such as Manuel Cornejo's passenger licence to the Indies (1711) and four papal bulls with the signature of José Cornejo are attached to her study, two from Innocent XIII to King Philip V, communicating the provision of the archbishopric of La Plata (Charcas) and the archbishopric of Lima (both from 1723), and the other two from Clement XI to King Philip V, communicating the provision of Nueva Segovia (Ilocos) and Nueva Cáceres (Camarines), both located in the Philippines.In this case, as in other frequent cases, it was customary to make posthumous portraits, as we read in Dr. Zamora's study: "The true boom in portraits occurred in the 18th century. The end of the War of Succession marked a turning point between the predominantly historical and commemorative character of portraiture and that of ostentation, as is the case here, which was introduced, fundamentally, by the French artistic trend. As the elite acquired noble titles, their portraits became richer in decoration, although their expression remained very severe. The portrait was not intended to reproduce the psychology of the sitter, but to manifest their belonging to a social group, a religious community, or a corporation. As in this case, it was common for some portraits to be made posthumously. Some of the subjects were no longer alive when this work was painted in 1754."Regarding the representation of this peculiar portrait, Zamora continues: "It is an atypical composition, a scene with twelve people, who appear between two palatial rooms, in a kind of hallway. The scene is crowned by Our Lady of the Sanctuary of Toledo. There are several artistic relationships between the Cathedral of Toledo and Spanish America during the Modern Age. Our Lady of the Sanctuary was worshipped to an enormous extent in New Spain. The 1672 painting by Francisco Rizi to be sent to Puebla de los Ángeles (Mexico) at the request of Manuel Miranda Palomeque is another example. Our Lady of the Sanctuary was considered "mother and protector," as also stated in the inscription surrounding her in this painting. "Bajo tu protección" (Under your protection) is the oldest hymn currently preserved of the Virgin Mary as Mother of God. The transcription of the text surrounding the virgin in the painting is the same: MONSTRATE ESSE MATREM SUB TUUM PRESIDIUM CONFUGIMUS."The composition is adapted to the style of elite portraits of the time: the subjects stand, with four essential elements: drapery, a heraldic shield (with a marquess crown in this case), cartouches with descriptions of the characters, and elements that allude to the positions of those represented (for example, the mitre belonging to one of them). Colonial painting was almost always executed on canvas, with large-sized canvases. The size of this painting is striking, as is the large family group it depicts, making it an artwork of tremendous interest.Cano Picó and Puig Galindo write about the unmistakable Hispano-American aspect of the work, "The painting has all the characteristics of the portrait painting style that developed in Hispanic America during the Viceroyalty or Colonial period. The background architecture with irregular perspective have all the characteristics of colonial architecture from the Viceroyalty period. Another aspect of the painting related to Hispanic America is in the clothing, such as the use of richly made aprons that complement the attire of important people. In Spain, the attire of aristocratic ladies did not include aprons as accessories, while in Hispanic America, the use of aprons as a complement to the clothing of important ladies was frequent."The painting features a central cartouche with the family crest at the bottom that reads: "DON MANUEL CORNEJO. / I D. JULIANA SANCHO. / I SUS HIJOS." This shield corresponds to the Cornejo Family in Arganda del Rey.At the bottom, there are ten cartouches with the name and titles identifying each of the characters. In this regard, the excellent study carried out by Ramón Cano Picó and Cristina Puig Galindo, which thoroughly delves into each of the characters, is very interesting.Regarding those portrayed, as Zamora notes, "The Sancho Granado family was a very prominent family in Arganda del Rey (Spain). The Sanchos, upon uniting with the Granados, achieved the definitive merger between this place and the Society of Jesus. In 1613, Juan Sancho, mayor of the Holy Brotherhood, led a group of 27 people from Arganda who opposed the sale of the Villa to the powerful Duke of Lerma. This same Sancho led the Villa of Arganda against the power of the Society of Jesus." One of the daughters, Juliana Sancho Granado, married the physician don Manuel Cornejo, forming the Cornejo Sancho family, portrayed in this painting.Two of the sons travelled to New Spain, as Zamora continues, "Lawyer Manuel Cornejo, who appears in the information file and passenger licence to the Indies in the year 1711, with Manuel de la Cruz, a native of Toledo, as a superior commissioner (Archivo General de Indias, Signature: CONTRATACION, 5466, N. 1, R. 19. Date, 1711-07-28). This is the character that serves as a link for us to understand the transposition of this family to the New Spain. Also, the second of them, Juan Hernando, appears as "Dean and Canon of the Holy Metropolitan Church of Santiago" (Santiago de Chile, as it was called, not Santiago de Compostela)."In the conclusion of her study, Dr. Zamora leaves us with a phrase that we would like to highlight: "A very peculiar, ambitious, and rich piece that will spark much discussion in the future if we continue to investigate the path that opens up to all those who are interested in the history of humanity."Attached: - Study by Dr. in Art History, Clara Zamora Meca.Technical report by Ramón Cano Picó and Cristina Puig Galindo.