Skip to main content
Advanced Search
This image is for study only, and may not accurately represent the object’s true color or scale…
Menino Jesus [Child Christ]
This image is for study only, and may not accurately represent the object’s true color or scale…
This image is for study only, and may not accurately represent the object’s true color or scale. It should not be shared or reproduced without permission by the copyright holder.

Menino Jesus [Child Christ]

Primary
NationalityBrazilian, South America
Date18h century
MediumOil on wood
DimensionsOverall: 27 1/2 × 13 3/4 × 9 in. (69.9 × 34.9 × 22.9 cm)
Credit LineBlanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Purchase, 2018.335
Collection AreaLatin American Art
Object number2018.335
On View
On view
Locations
  • exhibition  BMA, Gallery, A12
Label Text
Wood altarpieces were carved, gilded, and polychromed as part of the decoration of church interiors. Several artists were involved in such complex projects. In Brazil, a master carpenter would sign the contract with the expectation that he would subcontract other artists to help him complete the work. Many altarpieces included cherubs like this one, representing heavenly spirits that Catholics believe lived to serve God. Frequently, altarpieces fell out of fashion and were disassembled to modernize devotional spaces. Most likely, this cherub became a stand-alone sculpture only after its home altarpiece was dismantled in such a process, thus leaving us without information of its original context.