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Land of Enchantment

New Mexico hosts Arte Latino: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum beginning today at the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

More than sixty paintings, sculptures, and photographs represent many different cultural traditions developed by mostly Spanish-speaking artists who have settled in America. The earliest works on view are from Puerto Rico, which became a territory of the United States in 1898.

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, a cult of the Christ Child flourished throughout the Catholic countries of Europe and was passed along to the Americas. In this Puerto Rican image, the infant Jesus is shown as a king. In his left hand he holds the orb of the world, symbol of the ruler, which is topped by a small cross that signifies his future sacrifice. His right hand is raised in a gesture of benediction.

Source: Virginia Mecklenburg. Arte Latino: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (exhibition text, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1999).

Pictured: Unidentified, n.d., Niño Jesús, 18th century, carved and painted wood and metal, 13 3/8 x 5 1/2 x 4 3/8 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Teodoro Vidal Collection.