Colonial Period

The Immaculate Conception

Description:
The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception was declared the patron saint of Spain and all of its New World territories by Pope Clement XIII on the 8th of November, 1760. This proclamation inspired the cult of Mary, which explains the recurrence of this theme in the work of Venezuelan painters of the second half of the eighteenth century. The author of this work, Caracas master painter Antonio José Landaeta, was no exception. Landaeta, who was active between 1763 and 1810, produced several versions of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, all of which share a great deal of similarities, suggesting the possibility that he used a European print as a model. The painting, one of the few signed by the artist, may date from the last decade of the eighteenth century.
  • Artist: Antonio José Landaeta
  • Title: The Immaculate Conception
  • Date: c. 1795
  • Materials: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 75.57 x 47.63 cm (29 3/4 x 18 3/4 inches)
  • Credit: Denver Art Museum. Gift of Patricia Phelps de Cisneros in honor of Frederick and Jan Mayer
  • Artist: Antonio José Landaeta
  • Title: The Immaculate Conception
  • Date: c. 1795
  • Materials: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 75.57 x 47.63 cm (29 3/4 x 18 3/4 inches)
  • Credit: Denver Art Museum. Gift of Patricia Phelps de Cisneros in honor of Frederick and Jan Mayer
Description:
The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception was declared the patron saint of Spain and all of its New World territories by Pope Clement XIII on the 8th of November, 1760. This proclamation inspired the cult of Mary, which explains the recurrence of this theme in the work of Venezuelan painters of the second half of the eighteenth century. The author of this work, Caracas master painter Antonio José Landaeta, was no exception. Landaeta, who was active between 1763 and 1810, produced several versions of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, all of which share a great deal of similarities, suggesting the possibility that he used a European print as a model. The painting, one of the few signed by the artist, may date from the last decade of the eighteenth century.