Santa María “La Santera"
Artist
José R. Oliver
(Puerto Rican, 1901-1979)
Date1962
Object number86.1667
Mediumacrylic on Masonite
Dimensions26 3/4 x 19 3/4 in. (67.9 x 50.2 cm)
frame: 31 1/2 x 24 1/2 x 2 in. (80 x 62.2 x 5.1 cm)
frame: 31 1/2 x 24 1/2 x 2 in. (80 x 62.2 x 5.1 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineMuseo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.
Gift of Pierre Thyvaert
Collections
DescriptionThe central motif of this still life is the statuette of the Virgin Mary enthroned with the Child on her lap, which references the centuries-old tradition of carved wooden saints in Puerto Rico. Next to it is a glass of water with a branch of purple tradescantia, a medicinal plant common on the island. The plant’s proximity to the carved Virgin may suggest that the depicted space is an altar or home offering, emphasizing one of the primary purposes of Puerto Rican wooden saints: devotion and veneration.
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