Sale 215 Lot 173

CUZCO-STYLE PAINTING DEPICTING SAINT JAMES THE GREATER Cuzco-style oil on canvas traditional devotional painting depicting Saint James the Greater in his militant iconographic form as Santiago Matamoros (Saint James the Moor-Slayer). Characterized by the stylistic hallmarks of the 18th or 19th-century Cuzco School (Escuela Cuzqueña) of Peru, the artwork features the saint as a knight on a charging white horse, wielding a sword over defeated figures—a composition popularized in Spanish Colonial art to commemorate his legendary appearance during the Reconquista. The piece exhibits the flattened perspective, vibrant palette, and intricate gilded detailing typical of the era, and was likely executed in oil on a metal or wood panel. Saint James is shown in a billowing red cape and a distinct hat, while the figures beneath the horse's hooves represent his defeated adversaries, a motif sometimes reinterpreted in Latin American contexts as Santiago Mataindios. The entire work is housed in a classic Spanish Colonial hand-carved and gilded frame, featuring characteristic "scalloped" ears and original gold leaf over a dark base. Frame: 11 x 8 inches
$100-150