Santa Rosa de Lima 1683

Claudio Coello painted Santa Rosa de Lima in oil on canvas in the late 17th century. As an artist working in Madrid, Coello would have been very familiar with the demands of his patrons, including the Spanish Crown, who used art to project power and piety. This painting depicts the mystic Rosa of Lima, the first Catholic saint born in the Americas. She is shown in a state of religious ecstasy, receiving roses from the infant Christ. The roses refer both to her name and to the spiritual love she had for Jesus. The image creates meaning through visual codes that were clearly legible to its 17th-century audience. Coello’s patron would likely have been interested in promoting the cult of a New World saint, for propaganda reasons. This type of painting can be interpreted through close attention to the social and institutional context of its production. Historical sources and religious writings can illuminate the political and cultural forces that gave shape to its meaning.