Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Throughout the colonial period, traveling scrolls adorned with patron saints were paraded through Spanish American streets during public processions and carried by soldiers on military campaigns. Late colonial portraits reveal an alternate domestic context for these scrolls (see illustration): painted canvases attached to a wooden case, such as this image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, could have been easily transported between a family’s town and country residences to decorate oratorios and other rooms.