Art and Jesuit patronage in colonial Quito: the prophet paintings at the Church of La Compañía
Date
2018
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University of Delaware
Abstract
For centuries, the sixteen paintings of Old Testament prophets that adorn the main nave of the Jesuit church in Quito—better known as the Church of La Compañía—have been considered remarkable examples of Spanish colonial art. However, as is the case for most paintings from colonial Quito, little is known about the works’ authorship, chronology, and function. Through analysis of Jesuit texts from the colonial period (some of them never before consulted by scholars), examination of the paintings’ materials, and identification of numerous European prints that were used as sources, this dissertation uncovers the artistic techniques employed in the production of the paintings. In the process, this research contests previous unsubstantiated attributions given to the paintings, and proposes a new origin and chronology based on historical and scientific research, as well as formal analysis. Using seventeenth and eighteenth-century Jesuit sources, it addresses the interest of Quito’s Jesuit College in art patronage and raises several questions regarding the circulation of religious images in the province. Ultimately, this research proposes that the paintings’ iconography, which emphasizes the supernatural aspect of the prophetic, allowed Quito’s Jesuit College to reinforce its institutional values and present itself as an organization uniquely qualified to lead the evangelization of the Americas. This symbolic function was reinforced by the reflective materials that surrounded the paintings during the colonial period, particularly gilded surfaces and mirrors of different sizes.
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Keywords
Communication and the arts, Social sciences, Colonial, Jesuits, La Compañía, Painting, Prophets, Quito