Life of Saint Philip of Jesus (Vida de San Felipe de Jesus)
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Object Label
These three objects tell a story of Mexico’s early nineteenth-century Creole patriotism. The Mexican independence movement was fueled by Creoles, who were often denied a voice in colonial government. The 1821 Act of Independence formalized the independence that had been declared in 1810 and was signed by many Creole aristocrats, among them Don José María Gómez de Cervantes, whose portrait is on view nearby. New World figures like the Virgin of Guadalupe, who miraculously appeared to the Indian Juan Diego in 1521, and Saint Felipe de Jesús, the first Mexican-born saint, became important nationalist symbols, supporting the idea that the independence of Mexico was divinely ordained.
Estos tres objetos cuentan la historia del patriotismo criollo en el México de inicios del siglo XIX. El movimiento de independencia mexicano fue promovido por criollos, a quienes con frecuencia se les negó voz en el gobierno colonial. El Acta de la Independencia de 1821 formalizó la independencia que había sido declarada en 1810 y fue firmada por muchos aristócratas criollos, entre ellos don José María Gómez de Cervantes, cuyo retrato se exhibe aquí cerca. Las imágenes sagradas del Nuevo Mundo como la Virgen de Guadalupe, la que milagrosamente se le apareció al indio Juan Diego en 1521, y San Felipe de Jesús, el primer santo nacido en México, llegaron a ser importantes símbolos nacionalistas que apoyaron la idea de que la independencia de México era un designio divino.
Caption
José Montes de Oca (Mexican, active ca. 1788–1820). Life of Saint Philip of Jesus (Vida de San Felipe de Jesus), 1801. Engraved prints on white antique laid paper, modern binding, size of cover: 9 1/8 x 6 7/16 in. (23.2 x 16.4 cm) average sheet size: 8 1/2 x 5 3/4 in. (21.6 x 14.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1944, Purchased with funds given by the Estate of Warren S.M. Mead, 44.195.50. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Life of Saint Philip of Jesus (Vida de San Felipe de Jesus)
Date
1801
Medium
Engraved prints on white antique laid paper, modern binding
Classification
Dimensions
size of cover: 9 1/8 x 6 7/16 in. (23.2 x 16.4 cm) average sheet size: 8 1/2 x 5 3/4 in. (21.6 x 14.6 cm)
Credit Line
Museum Expedition 1944, Purchased with funds given by the Estate of Warren S.M. Mead
Accession Number
44.195.50
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