Musician Angel, Old Cuzco School, 19th Century, Folk and Mestizo Art

  

Originating from South America, this angelic child musician, with stylized condor wings and panpipes, points a raised finger toward the heavens. It blends the religion brought by the Spanish conquest with the poetry of nature and age-old rituals. Deceptively naïve, it is a fine example of sacred folk art, born of a fusion of cultures, theatrical Baroque imagery, and Indigenous American cosmology. Its imagery is rich in highly codified symbols: a modesty cloth adorned with Spanish Renaissance motifs, a carpet of flowers, a natural backdrop, banners planted on sacred mountain peaks, and cheeks and knees flushed red with life-giving blood.

Painted in the 19th century for private devotion, this work was created by a brotherhood of artists based in Bolivia or Ecuador, collectively associated with the “Cuzco School,” named after the city that was the main center of this artistic tradition. Beyond its visual poetry, the child messenger with his divine flute is a relatively uncommon subject, making it particularly sought after by collectors.

Dimensions: 40 x 30 cm.