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Premium Attributed to Diego Quispe Tito (Cuzco, Perú, 1611 - 1681)
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Attributed to Diego Quispe Tito (Cuzco, Perú, 1611 - 1681)
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Lot no. 91
Description
Attributed to Diego Quispe Tito (Cuzco, Perú, 1611 - 1681)
“The Baptism of Christ”.
Oil on canvas.
138 x 189 cm.
This painting is very similar to those found in the Monastery of Santa Catalina in Cuzco, to the mural by Luis de Riaño in the Church of Andahuaylillas, and to the artwork of the indigenous artist Diego Cusihuamán in the Church of Urcos.
In this colorful piece, we observe the story described in the Gospel of Saint Matthew 3:13–17.
The painting remains faithful to that account, portraying the River Jordan, where Jesus approaches to be baptized, and where John the Baptist was preaching. In the background of the landscape is Galilee, which frames this composition by showing the place.
And what prophecy is revealed through the Baptism? Jesus will not marry. It is during the Baptism that He is revealed as the Son, and John presents Him as “the Bridegroom,” the One who comes to “marry” the chosen people and will not abandon them. Thus, beside the Jordan, “a new family” is born.
On the left side are those described in Acts 2:41: “those who received his word and were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”
Above, at the center, surrounded by a choir of angels, is the Holy Spirit, who descended upon Him, through whom God spoke, declaring Him “His beloved Son, in whom He is well pleased.”
The baptism of Jesus marks, in turn, His acceptance and inauguration of His mission as the “Suffering Servant” (as narrated by the prophet Isaiah). By being baptized, He allows Himself to be counted among sinners, already becoming “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” It already anticipates the “baptism” of His bloody death.
The color palette is outstanding, and very much in the style of Quispe Tito and the Cuzco School, along with the Flemish influence evident in the background landscape and the depiction of local birds such as parrots and macaws, which we see perched on rocks and cliffs, or flying through the scenery.
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