18th Century Andean Colonial Oil on Canvas – Madonna and Child

18th Century Andean Colonial Oil on Canvas – Madonna and Child Attributed to the Cuzco School tradition An 18th-century Spanish Colonial devotional painting depicting the Virgin and Child, rendered in oil on a coarse linen canvas and retaining its original hand-carved stretcher. The Virgin is richly adorned in a patterned red robe with floral and gilt highlights, her headdress and mantle echoing the iconography of the Virgen de la Candelaria or Virgen del Carmen, both revered figures in the Andean Catholic tradition. The Christ Child is shown blessing, while both are set against a stylised interior with drawn curtains and floral ornamentation. Executed in the distinct style of the Cuzco School or a related provincial Andean workshop, likely Peru or Upper Peru (modern-day Bolivia), circa 1750–1800. The naive handling of form, flattened perspective, and decorative detailing are characteristic of the hybrid artistic language developed under Spanish patronage in the Viceroyalty of Peru. Condition: Craquelure throughout, with areas of surface wear, losses and discolouration, particularly along the lower edge. Some warping to the original stretcher, and visible age to both canvas and pigments. Size: 32 x 40 cm (canvas)