Vicerregal School. Cuzco. Peru. 18th century. "Our Lady Immaculate and Pure, with some of the Litanies of Loreto'. Oil on canvas. 179,5 x 130,5 cm. It has not been possible to attribute this painting to a particular artist, but it is undoubtedly the work of a master. One has only observed the beauty of the Virgin Mary's face and the portraits of the saints at her feet. This is a spectacular Cuzco canvas representing the Immaculate Virgin Mary ascending to the heavens on a half-moon and stamping on evil, amidst a choir of angels that display some of the names, invocations, or honorary titles given by the holy Fathers, extolling her dignity. With them, her person is honoured and her powerful intercession is invoked. Below, Saint Peter and Saint Anthony of Padua are in prayer. These were possibly the saint names of the donors who commissioned the painting. Surrounding Mary are some of the litanies of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On the left, above: MYSTICAL ROSE: ('...like a plant of roses in Jericho,' Ecclesiasticus 24:14. Mary is the rose of Jericho that had primacy over the others for its magnificence, its rare form, and its exquisite scent; and the rose bushes grew like trees.) MIRROR OF JUSTICE: ('She is a mirror of the eternal light, a spotless mirror of God's activity, an image of His goodness,' Wisdom 7:26. Justice here is almost equivalent to the word holiness, of perfection, and supernatural goodness.) In the arms of an angel, a TREE, a CEDAR, 'I have grown as a cedar in Lebanon' (Ecclesiasticus 24:17). The incorruptible cedar is a symbol of chastity. 'A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots, a Branch will bear fruit' (Isaiah 11:1). GATE OF HEAVEN ('And he was afraid and said, 'How dreadful is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!'' Genesis 28:17. Because it was through her that Our Lord Jesus Christ passed from Heaven to earth). On the right, another tree, THE OLIVE: '...like a beautiful olive tree in the fields' (Ecclesiasticus 24:14). Below, TOWER OF DAVID ('Your neck is like the tower of David, built with elegance' Song of Songs 4:4. A strong and beautiful construction that rose above the peak of a mountain built by King David for the defence of the city of Jerusalem. The Blessed Virgin Mary who rises sublime above the summit of all beauty and perfection, for the defence of the holy Church of God, the mystical Jerusalem.) FOUNTAIN: ('Fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon' Song of Songs 4:15). Upper right: LILIES OF THE FIELD ('Like a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters' Song of Songs 2:2). Below, the PALM TREE, or patient palm in pain ('I have grown tall like a palm tree') Ecclesiasticus 24:14. Mary evokes the palm branches of Jesus' triumph in Jerusalem (John 12:13), a foreshadowing of his triumph with all the elect ('There was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb' Revelation 7:9). The palm, a sign of a victory achieved through perseverance in the struggle and enduring pain with fortitude, steadfastly, like Mary at the foot of the Cross. HOUSE OF GOLD, (the most beautiful of all metals, the one with the most value, because its virtues and purity have a transcendental brilliance and a dazzling perfection, are like an admirable work made of the purest gold.) And the 4th tree, CYPRESS: '...like a cypress on the mountains of Hermon' (Ecclesiasticus 24:13). Below, THE WELL: '...a well of living waters' Song of Songs 4:15. and TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: 'Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit?' 1 Corinthians 6:19. This lot is imported and therefore has a guaranteed export license from the Spanish Ministry of Culture.