Bidspirit auction | JOSÉ MARÍA VÁZQUEZ or VASQUEZ

JOSÉ MARÍA VÁZQUEZ or VASQUEZ (Mexico, c.1765 – c.1826) – The Christ Child and Saint John the Baptist - Oil on canvas. Dimensions: 105 x 84 cm (without frame), 96 x 115 cm (with frame). Signed in the lower right corner “J.Mª.Vasqi”. The painting depicts a tender encounter between the Christ Child and the young Saint John the Baptist, a subject much loved in the artistic tradition of New Spain. In this work, attributed to José María Vázquez or Vásquez (c.1765–c.1826), both children appear together, radiating a remarkable sense of closeness and affection: Saint John wraps his arm around the Christ Child and holds the “Ecce Agnus Dei” banner, while at their side stands the lamb, symbolizing Christ. A particularly special detail is the apple held by the Christ Child. This fruit represents original sin, and its presence in the scene reminds us of the reason Christ came into the world—to redeem humanity. Such symbols were common in viceregal religious painting, and here Vázquez uses them naturally and delicately, demonstrating his knowledge of tradition and his ability to convey emotion through the gestures and expressions of the children. Created at the end of the eighteenth or the beginning of the nineteenth century, the work reflects both the painter’s European academic training—he studied at the Royal Academy of San Carlos—and his New Spanish sensibility, evident in the palette and the gentle sweetness of the faces.