Spanish or viceroyalty school; XVII century.

Spanish or viceroyalty school; XVII century.
"Saint Rose of Lima".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
It has a label.
It presents faults and restorations in the pictorial surface.
Measurements: 58 x 45,5 cm; 73 x 60 cm (frame).
The presence of the lady, crowned and with the book in her hands invites us to think in the representation of the Virgin. However, the presence of the flowers in the crown and the similarity of the work with the painting that belongs to the collection of the America Museum of Madrid Nº. Inv (00092), indicate to us that it is the representation of Santa Rosa de Lima. In this way the model is different from the usual one in which the saint is usually represented dressed as a nun. In this particular case the majesty of the mantle, richly ornamented, the details of the cover of the book and the delicacy of the face show us a sweetened image.
Isabel de Flores Oliva (Lima, 1586-1617), better known as Saint Rose of Lima, was a Peruvian saint, Dominican mystic canonized in 1671. She is the first saint of America, patron saint of Lima and Peru since 1669 and of the New World and the Philippines since 1670. In 1615 the Dutch corsairs decided to attack the city of Lima, and the news soon spread among the population. In response, Rosa gathered the women of Lima in the church to pray for the salvation of Lima. The saint went up to the altar, and cutting her clothes and rolling up her sleeves, she put her body to defend Christ in the Tabernacle. Mysteriously, the captain of the Dutch fleet died on his ship a few days later, which led to the withdrawal of the ships. In Lima everyone attributed the miracle to Rosa, and for this reason she is usually represented facing the sea, praying to God for protection against the corsairs, although this is not her only frequent iconography.