Jose de Paez Artista (1721-ca. 1790) / Escuela: Escuela Colonial Mexicana (Novohispana) – Atribución, Attributed to - Nuestra Señora de Belén con el Niño Jesús

Our Lady of Bethlehem with the Christ Child
Artist / School: Mexican (New Spanish) Colonial School – Historically and traditionally attributed to José de Páez (Mexico, 1721-ca. 1790)
Suite Subastas.
Era: 18th Century (c. 1750–1780).
Technique: Oil on canvas.
Dimensions: 126 x 95 cm (Large format / Museum dimensions)
Suite Subastas.
Framing: Presented with its period wooden frame painted and gilded.
Provenance: Former Spanish private collection.
Formally catalogued as Lot 15 in the gala auction “Héritage” of the prestigious La Suite auction house (Barcelona) on October 27, 2022
Suite Subastas.
Reference Prices: Official catalogued estimate at La Suite of €6,000 / €10,000
Suite Subastas.
Justified against current market witnesses in galleries such as Durán Subastas (Madrid), where colonial oil paintings of identical iconography and smaller format (105 x 83 cm) go to auction with firm starting prices of €12,000.
Lot Description
Exceptional and monumental oil on canvas from the 18th‑century Mexican Viceregal School
Suite Subastas.
The work represents the refined iconography of “Our Lady of Bethlehem with the Christ Child,” surrounded by a rich mystic retinue of cherubs and infant angels (putti) bearing flowers and signs of virginal purity. In the lower left corner stands a delicate secondary narrative scene enacting the Nativity in the stable.
By family tradition strictly documented, the painting enjoys a solid attribution to the celebrated New Spanish Baroque master José de Páez
Suite Subastas.
The formal characteristics fully support this thesis: the mystic, idealized sweetness of the oval faces, the almond-shaped gazes, the fine anatomical rendering of the gilded-haired cherubs, and the application of a smooth and “enamelled” brushwork in the vibrant color palette (deep blue mantle and carmine-red garments).
Condition and Conservation
Structural framework fully stable and consolidated. The original canvas has undergone a rigorous and professional modern lining (relining) process on the reverse. It is mounted on a contemporary hardwood stretcher with a central cross-brace reinforcement and perimeter tension keys/wedges that guarantee long-term perfect tension of the canvas. The pictorial layer shows minor losses of paint, localized old restorations, and inevitable small wear due to its age, Suite Subastas, preserving a natural craquelure appropriate to confirm its 18th‑century authenticity.

#exceptionalart26