Lot 194: Antonio Salas (Ecuadorian 1795-1860)

Antonio Salas (Ecuadorian 1795-1860)
a) The Vision of St. Philip Neri.
b) The Vision of Sts. Francis Borgia, Aloysius Gonzaga and Stanislas Kostka.
a) signed and dated 'Antonio Salas pinto Quito año 1827' (lower right)
b) indistinctly signed (lower center)
oil on canvas mounted on panel
each panel: 24½ x 13½ in. (62 x 34 cm.)
Painted in 1827.
Two in one lot (2)

Florence Wanthier.
The Reverend J. R. and Mrs. Atkinson.
Valery Taylor Gallery, New York.
Acquired from the above by present owner.

PROPERTY FROM LA COLECCIÓN PEREGRINA VIRREINAL, FUNDACIÓN ARTE SACRO ANTONIO ROIG-FERRÉ, SAN JUAN

Ecuadorian painter Antonio Salas, as scholar Marcus Burke has written, played an important artistic role in the transition from late colonial world of the Viceroyalty of New Granada to the independent federated state of Gran Colombia. Perhaps based on European model such as a print, Salas's paintings The Visions of Saint Philip Neri and Saints Francis Borgia, Aloysius Gonzaga and Stanislas Kostka--are rare masterpieces probably intended for private devotion.

The histories of all the saints are linked at many points. Founder of the Oratorian Order, Philip Neri was a colleague of the founder of the Society of Jesus or as they are frequently known, the Jesuits--Ignatius Loyola and Francis Borgia (Borja in Spanish). Both orders were founded during the Counter-Reformation and their influence in Europe, Asia and the Americas is well known. Neri dedicated his life to the education of the young in his native city of Florence. A pious and good natured man, he became a very successful preacher, spiritual advisor and friend to many notables of his day. Francis Borgia, a Spanish nobleman, joined the Jesuits upon the death of his wife and is considered one of the great organizers of the society having labored extensively to expand its missionary and educational activities throughout the world. Aloysius Gonzaga and Stanislas Kostka, both pious members of the Jesuits, were known for their spirituality and devotion to the Virgin Mary.

In The Vision of Saint Philip Neri, the artist has painted the saintly figure gazing towards Heaven as he contemplates the vision of the Virgin Mary and the Holy Trinity. In The Vision of Saints Francis Borgia, Aloysius Gonzaga and Stanislas Kostka, Salas, as Marcus explains, has chosen to depict a "vision within a vision," that is--the scene is best understood as occurring in Heaven. Saint Francis Borgia and Saint Aloysius Gonzaga at the lower right are directed by the angel to contemplate Saint Stanislas Kostka holding the Infant Jesus; at the bottom, are symbols of temporal glory--a cardinal's hat and ducal crowns that Borgia had refused.