Andean Artists in Colonial Quito: - College of William and Mary

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Andean Artists in Colonial Quito aforementioned for the cost of the lining [aforro] of the said chapel [the Capilla de Santa Ana] outside of the wood for the said effect, and not a thing has been made… 31 The aforro or “lining” of the chapel referenced in the contract may refer to the creation and addition of the sculpted panels that face the altarpiece. In this case, a carpenter would build the framework, and then the sculptor would “line” the altarpiece by facing it with relief sculpture panels. Additionally, it is possible that it refers to carved wooden panels that line or panel the chapel by their placement to either side of the altarpiece. Regardless of the specific interpretation, Monga was given a down payment of 120 pesos, which indicates that his task was not a small one. 32 Without mentioning the specifics of the lining, Cárdenas continues, I command that the said patron [of the Chapel of St. Anne] charge the above-mentioned his sons and heirs to comply with the contract that they have made with me to create the lining of the said chapel. 33 The mention of Monga’s sons and those to come is of importance, as it suggests that they too were trained sculptors, indicating that the skills of the trade were passed from generation to generation. Though documentary evidence suggests that the works of Pauca and Monga would have been seen by colonial era visitors to the Cathedral, today’s visitors cannot view the same works as a result of changes in location and the renovation of decorative schemes. Furthermore, owing to two devastating earthquakes, in 1755 and 1797, which severely damaged the Cathedral, parts of these commissioned works may no longer exist. 34 So destructive was the earthquake of 1755, for example, that it demolished five of the nave arches of the Cathedral. 35 Today, a visit reveals that the retablo for the Capilla de Nuestra Senora de la Nube that was commissioned from Nicolas Pauca by Capitan Don Thomás Fernández de Fraga in 1699 is no longer extant, and it is likely that because of the earthquake in 1755, the lining of the retablo that Monga and his sons were to have completed in 1703 has suffered a similar fate. 36 However, the sculpture of the Dolorosa, commissioned in 1693, which was completed by both Pauca and Monga, has survived catastrophic earthquakes and stands in situ today. This is demonstrated by the 1693 47
48 The Monitor - Winter 2011 commission, which states that that sculpture was to be located “in the space of the altar where this is the holy crucifix” (Figure 2). 37 The Dolorosa in Spain and Quito The popularity of the cult of the Dolorosa was on the rise in the Hispanic World during the latter part of the seventeenth century, leading to an increase of the depictions of the particular theme in painting and sculpture. 38 In his 1670s bust, The Virgin of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa), the famed Spanish sculptor, Pedro de Mena, depicts an anguished Dolorosa whose furrowed eyebrows, downcast eyes, and parted lips all convey emotional intensity. 39 Particularly important is the way in which Mena portrays her face and hands, as both exhibit remarkable level of naturalism and attention to detail. The artist has carefully captured the reddened skin tone that is so often associated with expressions of grief. Throughout the seventeenth century, the cult of the Dolorosa was so prevalent and in demand that sculptural examples from the Spanish schools were exported from Spain to Austria and even as far as Mexico. 40 Given its position in the New World, Quito would also become an outpost for these peninsular works of the Dolorosa. Discussing colonial sculpture, Gabrielle Palmer asserts: “Although indebted to the forms and techniques of the parent Andalucian sculpture, the Quitenian sculptors nonetheless exhibit a style and spirit entirely their own.” 41 Noting that parallels to Spanish sculpture become increasingly difficult to make as the seventeenth century progresses, Palmer describes the principal characteristics of Quiteñan sculpture as typically of the “de vestir type,” and possessing a “highly polished encarnación,” or surface finish on the flesh tones. 42 However, the “de vestir” or “clothed” sculpture is not solely a Quiteñan convention; a second Spanish Dolorosa proves that both Spain and New World Quito practiced the dressing of their sculptures. The anonymous sculpture of the Virgen de la Esperanza Macarena of the late seventeenth century also wears an elaborate garb, including a cream-colored wimple. This description certainly applies to the sculpture of the Dolorosa commissioned from Nicolas Pauca and Francisco Monga by Doctor Don Joseph Ramírez Dávila in 1693. Pauca and Monga’s Dolorosa is clearly an imagen de vestir, clad in a blue cloth garment, a black mantle edged in lace, and a white wimple. Additionally, the face of the Dolorosa, somber
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Andean Artists in Colonial Quito: - College of William and Mary

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