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Lázaro Pardo de Lago (Cuzco, Viceroyalty of Peru, active from 1630 - 1660)
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Description
Lazaro Pardo de Lago (Cuzco, Viceroyalty of Peru, active from 1630 - 1660)
"Assumption of Mary, Body and Soul, into Heaven"
Oil on marble
43.5 x 31 cm.
This painting—an exquisite and rare piece due to its unusual marble support—is, in our view, undoubtedly the work of the master Lázaro Pardo de Lago. It may be compared with The Exaltation of the Cross, also by Pardo, held at the Museo Pedro de Osma in Cuzco, Peru. Similarly, the Virgin’s face and the delicately rendered hands can be likened to those in the Immaculate Conception painting from the same museum.
It is also noteworthy that the Church of San Cristóbal in Cuzco houses a signed painting by Lázaro Pardo depicting the Assumption of the Virgin, which closely resembles the painting we have here.
Moreover, there are parallels with an earlier piece by this master, sold as lot 39 in our auction of 5 October 2023. Common features include the depiction of the Virgin, the painter’s palette, golden radiance, and the choir of cherubs among the clouds.
This is a truly rare and precious work, painted on marble—a material rarely used as a painting support. The subject, the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, is one of the most important Marian feasts in the Christian calendar, celebrated on 15 August. Theologically, it is one of the dogmas of faith proclaimed by the Church, along with Mary’s Divine Motherhood, her Immaculate Conception, and Perpetual Virginity. The Assumption was solemnly defined by Pope Pius XII in the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus on 1 November 1950, stating that “the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”
The Cuzco painter—also active as a sculptor and gilder—sought to make the painting everlasting through the use of this enduring medium. The permanence and stability of marble encouraged artists to employ it for the creation of works intended to transcend time. The masterful and delicate brushwork seen here is almost sculptural in effect, with finely modelled faces, garments, clouds, and sepulchral volutes, capturing expressions of rapture and sorrow that mesmerise the viewer.
This painting is likely a study or copy of the same subject painted in 1632 for the Parish of San Cristóbal in Cuzco, based on an engraving after a composition by Peter Paul Rubens, specifically the Assumption of the Virgin engraved by Cornelis Galle.
The artist’s brilliance as a gilder is evident in the golden aura surrounding the Virgin, partially veiled by the cherubs that accompany and venerate her during her celestial ascent.
Surrounding the Virgin, who is enthroned upon clouds, are angels, eleven apostles, and a figure not often seen in Western depictions: Saint Joseph. Though he had died long before the Assumption, the artist includes him according to the tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church, in which he is said to have been present at Mary’s burial to bid farewell to his wife.
Particularly striking are the faces lifted in ecstatic gaze toward the heavens, seeking the blessing of the ascending Mother of God. Meanwhile, two other figures, filled with sorrow, fix their gaze upon the empty tomb: Joseph, praying mournfully over the grave, and Saint John, “the son who now feels orphaned of his mother.”
As cited by the Real Academia de la Historia (Royal Academy of History), Lázaro Pardo de Lago was a: "Painter, gilder, and Creole or mestizo sculptor, who ranks among the first important masters who worked in the ancient Inca capital. His work was primarily linked to the Franciscan Order, and his more personal style appears to echo early Hispanic naturalism, blending the observation of immediate reality with refined formal stylisation. In 1630, Pardo painted, at the request of the Franciscan monastery of Cuzco, two large canvases depicting the Franciscan martyrs of Japan, which can be considered his masterpieces. Both scenes reveal a painter of exceptional quality, judging by the meticulous precision of his work, the luminous colour, and the strongly characterised heads of some martyrs. Deploying ingenious local expressive resources, Pardo depicted the Asian friars with features similar to those of mestizos or the mixed Hispanic and indigenous people of his time.
Furthermore, Lázaro Pardo was one of the first Cuzco artists who used engravings by Peter Paul Rubens and his school as a starting point for his compositions. An example of this is the Assumption of the Virgin, executed in 1632 by order of the parish of San Cristóbal, based on a homonymous work engraved by Cornelis Galle, following the original design by Rubens.
His workshop must have been one of the largest in Cuzco during his time."
Among the many apprentices who learned the craft or worked in his workshop were his own sons: Juan, Lorenzo, and Salvador Pardo Lago Osorio, who remained active into the 1670s.
His work is preserved in the Church of San Cristóbal and La Recoleta in Cuzco, as well as in the Franciscan Recoleta of Arequipa, amongst other places.
Reference bibliography:
- Real Academia de la Historia. (s.f.). "Lázaro Pardo Lago". https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/70955/lazaro-pardo-lago
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Lazaro Pardo de Lago (Cuzco, Viceroyalty of Peru, active from 1630 - 1660)
"Assumption of Mary, Body and Soul, into Heaven"
Oil on marble
43.5 x 31 cm.
This painting—an exquisite and rare piece due to its unusual marble support—is, in our view, undoubtedly the work of the master Lázaro Pardo de Lago. It may be compared with The Exaltation of the Cross, also by Pardo, held at the Museo Pedro de Osma in Cuzco, Peru. Similarly, the Virgin’s face and the delicately rendered hands can be likened to those in the Immaculate Conception painting from the same museum.
It is also noteworthy that the Church of San Cristóbal in Cuzco houses a signed painting by Lázaro Pardo depicting the Assumption of the Virgin, which closely resembles the painting we have here.
Moreover, there are parallels with an earlier piece by this master, sold as lot 39 in our auction of 5 October 2023. Common features include the depiction of the Virgin, the painter’s palette, golden radiance, and the choir of cherubs among the clouds.
This is a truly rare and precious work, painted on marble—a material rarely used as a painting support. The subject, the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, is one of the most important Marian feasts in the Christian calendar, celebrated on 15 August. Theologically, it is one of the dogmas of faith proclaimed by the Church, along with Mary’s Divine Motherhood, her Immaculate Conception, and Perpetual Virginity. The Assumption was solemnly defined by Pope Pius XII in the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus on 1 November 1950, stating that “the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”
The Cuzco painter—also active as a sculptor and gilder—sought to make the painting everlasting through the use of this enduring medium. The permanence and stability of marble encouraged artists to employ it for the creation of works intended to transcend time. The masterful and delicate brushwork seen here is almost sculptural in effect, with finely modelled faces, garments, clouds, and sepulchral volutes, capturing expressions of rapture and sorrow that mesmerise the viewer.
This painting is likely a study or copy of the same subject painted in 1632 for the Parish of San Cristóbal in Cuzco, based on an engraving after a composition by Peter Paul Rubens, specifically the Assumption of the Virgin engraved by Cornelis Galle.
The artist’s brilliance as a gilder is evident in the golden aura surrounding the Virgin, partially veiled by the cherubs that accompany and venerate her during her celestial ascent.
Surrounding the Virgin, who is enthroned upon clouds, are angels, eleven apostles, and a figure not often seen in Western depictions: Saint Joseph. Though he had died long before the Assumption, the artist includes him according to the tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church, in which he is said to have been present at Mary’s burial to bid farewell to his wife.
Particularly striking are the faces lifted in ecstatic gaze toward the heavens, seeking the blessing of the ascending Mother of God. Meanwhile, two other figures, filled with sorrow, fix their gaze upon the empty tomb: Joseph, praying mournfully over the grave, and Saint John, “the son who now feels orphaned of his mother.”
As cited by the Real Academia de la Historia (Royal Academy of History), Lázaro Pardo de Lago was a: "Painter, gilder, and Creole or mestizo sculptor, who ranks among the first important masters who worked in the ancient Inca capital. His work was primarily linked to the Franciscan Order, and his more personal style appears to echo early Hispanic naturalism, blending the observation of immediate reality with refined formal stylisation. In 1630, Pardo painted, at the request of the Franciscan monastery of Cuzco, two large canvases depicting the Franciscan martyrs of Japan, which can be considered his masterpieces. Both scenes reveal a painter of exceptional quality, judging by the meticulous precision of his work, the luminous colour, and the strongly characterised heads of some martyrs. Deploying ingenious local expressive resources, Pardo depicted the Asian friars with features similar to those of mestizos or the mixed Hispanic and indigenous people of his time.
Furthermore, Lázaro Pardo was one of the first Cuzco artists who used engravings by Peter Paul Rubens and his school as a starting point for his compositions. An example of this is the Assumption of the Virgin, executed in 1632 by order of the parish of San Cristóbal, based on a homonymous work engraved by Cornelis Galle, following the original design by Rubens.
His workshop must have been one of the largest in Cuzco during his time."
Among the many apprentices who learned the craft or worked in his workshop were his own sons: Juan, Lorenzo, and Salvador Pardo Lago Osorio, who remained active into the 1670s.
His work is preserved in the Church of San Cristóbal and La Recoleta in Cuzco, as well as in the Franciscan Recoleta of Arequipa, amongst other places.
Reference bibliography:
- Real Academia de la Historia. (s.f.). "Lázaro Pardo Lago". https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/70955/lazaro-pardo-lago
Millésime 25 · 20th anniversary of La Suite Subastas
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From 50.-€ to 200.-€…………………………………………..at 10.-€
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From 500.000.-€ to 500.000.-€………………………50.000 in 50.000.-€
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