The Virgin of Guadalupe with the Four Apparitions

Nicolás Enríquez

1773 · Oil on copper · The American Wing

When Nicolás Enríquez painted this copy of the Virigin of Guadalupe in 1773, it was the most widely venerated sacred image in New Spain. Here, the miraculous image is encircled by four scenes that attest to its divine origin. They record the Virgin’s three appearances to the Indian Juan Diego at Tepeyac, near Mexico City, and culminate in the revelation of her image imprinted on his cloak. An inscription reveals that this copy was sanctified by contact with the original in 1789, sixteen years after it was painted and four years after its owner returned to Spain.

Artist

Nicolás Enríquez

Date

1773

Medium

Oil on copper

Culture

Mexican

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Purchase, Louis V. Bell, Harris Brisbane Dick, Fletcher, and Rogers Funds and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest and several members of The Chairman's Council Gifts, 2014