La Dolorosa [Our Lady of Sorrows]

Devotional practice was an important component of daily life in the deeply religious society of the Spanish Americas. It was supported by small-scale paintings of pious themes, like the one displayed here. Although the authors of most of these humble images remain unidentified, this painter’s style appears to be from El Tocuyo, a region in west-central Venezuela, where the table was also most likely made. Scholars believe that this picture of the grieving Mary was part of a fancy headboard, cut out from the furniture’s frame when it was no longer in good shape.