Virgin Of The Tree, Quito School, Ecuador XVII

The Virgin of the Tree or Virgen del Arbol, Quito School, 17th century, painted on wood with a painted and gilded frame.
Naive painting probably painted by an indigenous artist. During the colonial era, artists and artisans spent their time painting and sculpting to the glory of God but also for the needs of religious orders in order to pictorially convey the Gospel to the indigenous people so that they could convert to Christianity, most of whom could not read and write. The King of Spain granted a royal charter to the Toledo artist and sculptor Diego de Robles to settle in Quito where he created the city's first art workshop. A faithful and vigorous interpreter of popular devotion, Robles was one of the most creative in the colony. In his art he was assisted by numerous disciples, both indigenous and mestizo. The golden age of Quito art was in the 17th-18th centuries.