Anonymous, Spanish-american Colonial School, 18th Century

Oil on relined canvasDimensions: 105 x 71 cmInteresting and rare 18th-century colonial painting, executed in oil on canvas, depicting a scene of the Christianization of the American peoples. The composition shows in great detail the interaction between European missionaries – probably Franciscans or Jesuits – and indigenous communities in a context of evangelization, a fundamental theme in the colonial art of Spanish America.The work is part of the Colonial Baroque style, characterized by an artistic syncretism that fuses European elements with local representations. The figures show remarkable expressiveness and the scene is set in a landscape that evokes both American exuberance and architectural elements of European influence.The canvas has been retouched, ensuring its stability, and is preserved in good condition, with the pigments still vibrant and the scene clearly legible. These types of pieces are valued both for their artistic quality and for their historical and ethnographic interest, reflecting the processes of cultural contact between Europe and America. Works of this nature are rare on the market and are of particular interest to collectors of viceregal art, museums, and scholars of the colonial period.