In this room we can see a display of artworks that concretely exemplify the differences that could emerge in the cult of an image or saint from a variety of audiences. The images shown represent two devotions that reached great popularity during the 18th century: Virgin of Guadalupe and saint John Nepomuk.
In the case of the Virgin, who appeared in the Tepeyac hill, her devotion illustrates an intense and peculiar range of phenomena. The legend of her appearance, published in 1648, was related to happenings dating from the previous century. Nevertheless, her cult became even more popular in the 18th century, around 1730, due to a series of events, amongst them, the miraculous healing of a plague that mainly affected the indigenous population; these resulted in her being sworn patron of Mexico City and New Spain.
The narrative of her imprint in the ayate of an indigenous man named Juan Diego, made her an image created by divine will, capable of working miracles. Hence, when artists copied it, they would try to replicate the original, respecting her basic traits; adding in some cases the happenings of the story in four or five scenes.
Painters would often complain about the difficulty of replicating the image of the Virgin, thus, in the mid-18th century, a group of artists and academics made a decal that circulated among the painters’ guild and allowed greater accuracy. Therefore, despite the differences in the artistic skills of painters, their local traditions or their interest in adding decorative elements, the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe was represented without substantial variations.
The case of saint John Nepomuk was quite different. His devotion was promoted by the Jesuits at the beginning of the 18th century as a patron of confession secrecy and protector against gossip and calumnies. It was said that the saint had been tortured for keeping the confession of the Queen of Bohemia from her husband. His devotion was reinforced due to a miracle associated with the relic of his tongue; hence, it became one of his attributes. The representation of the saint can vary depending on the scene depicted, sometimes he was represented with a white hood, with an ermine coat or with a doctoral bonnet.
