Azcapotzalco. The Santa Ana altarpiece

A third altarpiece of interest stands in the Rosary Chapel at Azcapotzalco.  Designed in a modified Solomonic style and featuring tritostyle spiral columns, the retablo is a century earlier than the main altarpiece, dating from the 1680s.
   Probably originally located in the main church, this gilded two tier retablo may once have had a third tier - perhaps removed when it was relocated.

The altarpiece is dedicated to Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, whose figure occupies the glassed in center niche
   Unlike the main retablo in the chapel, this one displays paintings rather than statuary. These have been identified as the work of the eminent Mexican baroque painter Juan Correa the Elder (c.1645 - 1716) whose signature appears on at least one of the panels (1681)

  

La Purísima;                                                  The Annunciation

   On the lower level, scenes of the birth of the Virgin Mary and her appearance in the Temple flank the image of St Anne, while on the second tier we see the Annunciation and the Visitation on either side of a larger panel portraying the Immaculate Conception (La Purísima)

La Purísima panel

Portraits of the Doctors of the Latin Church appear along the predella at the base of the retablo.

text © 2018 Richard D. Perry

color image from online sources

Azcapotzalco: The El Rosario altarpiece

In a previous post we showcased the retablo of St. Rose of Lima in the Dominican church of San Felipe & Santiago Azcapotzalco  in Mexico City.  In this post we look at the first of two altarpieces in the adjacent Rosary Chapel: The principal retablo of El Rosario is dedicated to the Virgin of the Rosary, a devotion especially associated with the Dominicans.

Created c.1775, the gilded retablo mayor is fashioned in the terminal baroque style known as anástilo (eg: without support) in which ornament overwhelms visible structure.  

   Figural ornament is confined to statuary. A modern statue of the Virgin of the Rosary appears in the center niche or vitrine. Most of the other figures however, appear contemporary with the retablo itself, from the 1770s: The Virgin is flanked by statues of her parents, Sts Joachim and Anne. 

St. Joseph stands with the Christ Child in the niche above her, flanked in turn by Sts Peter and Paul in the lateral niche-pilasters.  Others include St John the Evangelist and John the Baptist  as well as Zacharias and Isabel, the parents of the latter.

The Archangel Michael steps out from the apex of the retablo.

Numerous rounded reliefs illustrate the mysteries of the Rosary, the Joys and Sorrows of the Virgin.

The altarpiece is flanked by corner altars beneath the dome in a similar style of ornament: showcasing statues of St John Nepomuk and St Gertrude.

text © 2018 Richard D. Perry

color images by JIL

Azcapotzalco, the Villalpando altarpiece

This the first in a series on the altarpieces of the Dominican church of San Felipe y Santiago in Azcapotzalco, in the city of Mexico.
   In an earlier post we looked at the main altarpiece at Huaquechula, which features a complete set of paintings by the eminent baroque painter and Mexican native Cristóbal de Villalpando.

   Villalpando emerged in the 1680s as one of the leading painters in viceregal Mexico, noted for his daring compositions, dynamic movement, brilliant color and expressive elegance. 
   Influenced by the Flemish master Rubens, Villalpando's painting exemplifies the luminous Mexican baroque, leavened by the warm, Mannerist inspired Andalusian artistic tradition so popular in Mexico but at the same time reflecting a New World earthiness.
   In this post we look at the only other surviving Mexican altarpiece with a complete sequence of paintings by Villalpando, that of the retablo of Sta Rosa de Lima, in the Dominican church of San Felipe y Santiago in Azcapotzalco.

©JIL

The Paintings

Appropriately, all sixteen painted panels document scenes from the life of St. Rose of Lima—a complete set and still in their original locations within the retablo. 

   As one of his first major commissions, one that  undoubtedly helped establish his reputation, the paintings are representative of Villalpando's early style—employing simply structured compositions and a palette of cool, somber colors appropriate to the themes illustrated.

  

Birth and Death of St Rose

Starting at the lowest of the four tiers of the retablo, the predella consists of four elongated panels that portray the birth, illness and death of the saint, with a scene of her being approached by a well dressed hidalgo (the Devil) These have a popular feeling compared with the more formal panels in the main tiers.

  

On the first main tier, panels illustrate the saint mortifying her self on the left, and praying on the right. The two center panels portray Christ appearing to her (left) and, on the right, St. Rose embracing Him on the cross.

 

On the next level are two views of the saint kneeling with the crowned Virgin and Child. These flanked by more penitential scenes on either side. 

In the center, Rose, crowned with roses, walks with the young Christ, the most luminous and colorful scene among the generally somber blues and grays of the other portrayals.

© Pedro López

Paintings along the top tier, include a scene of Jesus presenting the saint with her signature crown of Roses (left) and on the right, a more domestic scene of Rose embroidering a pillow, accompanied by the youthful Jesus and a dove!  In the large center panel, the solitary figure of the saint inside a temple is one of the most striking compositions.

© Pedro Lopez

Murals on either side of the retablo, probably of later origin, portray the saint in the celestial company of the Archangel Gabriel opposite the Holy Trinity.
   Note: Villalpando painted other major commissions portraying the life of St. Rose of Lima, mostly on behalf of the Dominican Order including altarpieces in the cathedrals of Puebla and Mexico City. Unlike the Azcapotzalco retablo many of these panels have been dispersed. One example, the Mystical Marriage of St. Rose, commissioned by the Dominican Order and incorporating a portrait of St. Dominic, was recently on display in Santa Barbara, California.

 

Check out our other pages on colonial Mexican regional altarpieces of note: 
*Puebla:    Tecali; Puebla Cathedral; Cuauhtinchan; Atlixco Third Order; Atlixco San Francisco; San José Chiapa; Totimehuacan; Huaquechula; 
*Oaxaca: San Felipe Neri; San Agustín;  Coixtlahuaca; Yanhuitlan;  Ixtlan;
*Yucatan: San Bernardino de Sisal; the Master of Mani; Tabi; Tecoh; Tejupan; Calotmul: Calkini; Mendoza retablos; 
Aranzazú; Amacueca; Cadereyta; Santa Prisca de Taxco; Santa Prisca - main; Querétaro: the Rojas retablos; Tepeyanco; El Cabezón; 

text © 2018 Richard D. Perry

color images by the author and other sources as noted.

Azcapotzalco: the west front

In an earlier series we looked at several late colonial church fronts designed in what has been termed neóstilo, or popularly, Neostyle.

Another facade that falls into this category is that of the church of Santiago y San Felipe de Azcapotzalco, in Mexico City.   

Carved from warm, light gray chiluca limestone, the elegant facade dates from the late 1700s. It marries the late baroque format of a soaring, open center section with layered passages of ornamental whorls, broken mixtilinear cornices and stalactite like pinjante pendants, with single and paired plain, elongated classical Doric, partially fluted columns. 

  

Multiple scrolls also frame the slender, ornamental niches between the columns—now vacant, but possibly once intended for statues of the patron saints, the apostles James Major and Philip. 

Emblazoned above the high, lobed choir window is the Dominican escutcheon of the fleur-de-lis cross.

.....................................................

The church is also noted for its Rosary Chapel and a variety of splendid baroque altarpieces which we will review in a later post.

text © 2017 Richard D. Perry.

images © 1986 by the author

Check out our other recent posts on colonial facades and doorways of note: 

Tecamachalco; Molango; Tepeaca; Mixquiahuala; La Casa de Montejo; Atlixco, La Merced; Third Order ; Ixtacala; Texcoco; Tlamaco; Nexquipayac; Tepalcingo; San Cristóbal de Mérida; Huaquechula; Huejotzingo;

Tochimilco: St. Francis returns

As a follow up to our earlier posts* on Tochimilco we reprise the story of the St Francis relief:

In September 2006, three years after it was stolen from the church at Tochimilco, the U.S. ambassador formally returned a 400-year-old polychrome wooden relief sculpture to Mexico. Thieves had tried to sell it in the United States at a Santa Fe, N.M., art gallery for $255, 000. 
  This large, painted wooden relief, now cleaned and restored, depicts St. Francis receiving the Stigmata on September 14, 1224. Originally the centerpiece of a larger altarpiece, it measures 92 inches high by 69 inches wide and is believed to have been carved between 1575 and the early 1600s. 

In a classic representation of this seminal event in the life of the saint, Francis kneels on a rock at the foot of Mt. LaVerna in Tuscany, here realistically portrayed with trees and a running mountain stream. Although his feet are hidden, the open hands of the richly robed saint clearly depict two of Christ's five wounds. The wound on his side is less clear.

Francis gazes up intensely to the six winged, crucified seraph in the clouds on the upper right, although the heavenly rays usually emanating from the seraph to the five wounds are not shown in this relief version.

Brother Leo, Francis' companion, stares expressionless in the corner, seemingly oblivious to the miracle unfolding above him.
   In our view, this beautifully realized work of art is the finest of only a tiny handful of colonial reliefs portraying this event. 

text © 2018 Richard D. Perry

color images of the relief © Felipe Falcón

*see our previous posts on Tochimilco: The Open Chapel; The Fountain; The Murals; 

Tochimilco: the Open Chapel

Some years back we posted on the exceptional sculpted fountain at the early Franciscan monastery of Tochimilco, situated on the eastern flank of the volcano Popocatepetl.

Asunción Tochimilco in 2018 - restored after the 2017 earthquake

The convento of The Assumption was founded by Fray Diego de Olarte, the noted former conquistador turned Franciscan Provincial, who supervised construction during the 1550s and early 1560s. 

 
open chapel and archway detail (monogram of Maria on capital)

It was only in the 1960s that the elevated open chapel at Tochimilco was recognized as such and unblocked after many centuries.

At that time, the beautifully carved Latin inscription around the grand archway was also uncovered and restored. The text reads, "SANCTA MARIA ASSUMPTIO OCOPETLAYUCA," thus, “Our Lady of the Assumption of Ocopetlayuca.”

open chapel inscription - detail

As it happens Ocopetlayuca ("fern shaped gourd") was the original name of the community, later changed to or superseded by Tochimilco and since largely forgotten.

   For some reason Fray Diego picked the aboriginal name for the chapel, perhaps to better connect with the local natives who may have still harbored resentment about an earlier annexation by the Tochimilca people.

text © 2018 Richard D. Perry

images courtesy of Felipe Falcón and Niccolò Brooker
see our other posts on Tochimilco: The Fountains; The Murals; St Francis relief;

Chiapas: El Calvario de Chiapa de Corzo

Chiapa de Corzo, the ancient chiapanec capital of Chiapas, is known for its varied colonial monuments, most notably the spectacular 16th century brick fountain, the old Dominican priory of Santo Domingo, and the roofless hillside church of San Sebastián, dedicated to the town's patron saint.
   Less well-known is the tiny Calvary Chapel, located at the top of a hill, next to a spreading ceiba tree in the outer barrio of San Pedro, commanding panoramic views of the city and its monuments.

courtesy of Robert Guess

The Facade
At its heart a 17th century building, the chapel front was remodeled in popular neogothic style around 1900. Despite their folk gothic arches and pinnacles, the crowded belfry arcade between the squat towers remains in the tradition of vernacular architecture in Chiapas.

  

Unfortunately, El Calvario was damaged in the earthquakes of September 2017, but restoration work is currently under way.

  

photos courtesy of Robert Guess

One unique feature of the facade is a pair of large, painted bas reliefs, depicting Our Lady of Mt Carmel (L) and St. Francis of Assisi embracing the crucified Christ (R) both set in ogee-like niches or frames.
   Such painted facade reliefs, while a rarity in Chiapas, are firmly in the tradition of popular religious art in Guatemala and Andalusia, as well as other parts of southern Mexico.

courtesy of Robert Guess

The Descent from the Cross
Another unexpected colonial treasure at El Calvario rests inside the church. This is a venerable painted wooden relief illustrating The Descent from the Cross, thought to have belonged to the now lost 16th century main altarpiece taken from the old Dominican priory of Santo Domingo (located down the hill beside the river, just off the main plaza in Chiapa de Corzo).

The Descent from the Cross (detail).  courtesy of Niccolo Brooker 

Although displayed inside a glass case on the right hand side of the narrow nave (which makes it difficult to photograph in situ) the panel is carved, painted and gilded in an unexpectedly sophisticated style, of excellent workmanship and compelling composition, probably based on a European print or painting, and possibly the work of a European artist.

St. Mary Magdalene.  courtesy of Niccolo Brooker

The figures are convincingly modeled, especially the slumping body of Christ in the foreground; the elaborate robes of the many onlookers are carved in rhythmic, flowing lines and incised with estofado patterning, especially the figure of Mary Magdalene kneeling in the foreground.

the nave with El Señor del Calvario.   photo courtesy of Robert Guess

El Señor del Calvario
El Calvario is also the focus of one of Chiapas' most interesting folk festivals, dedicated to El Señor del Calvario, a venerated crucifix that rests above the main altar, fortunately undamaged during the 'quake.

courtesy of Robert Guess

The nine day observance begins on the third Friday of October, a colorful and well attended celebration at the chapel, which has been spectacularly decorated with floral enramas, fruits and festive foods including circular rosca breads for the occasion.

courtesy of Robert Guess

text © 2005 & 2018 Richard D. Perry

color images © Niccolo Brooker and Robert Guess with appreciation. All rights reserved.