Patrons, clientele and Patronage: Iconography of The Virgin of Mercy and Saint Joseph’s Patronage in New Spain

Abstract

One of the most popular representations in Novo-Hispanic art was that which showed the Virgin or the saints protecting communities and authorities under their cloaks, symbolizing the patronage and corporate scheme of the Old Regime. The majority of examples of such an iconographic model belong to the 18th century and present the various religious orders and other corporations as the main recipients of heavenly benefits. The dissemination of this model was one of the responses promoted by religious organizations to confront Bourbon policies that limited their former privileges. With these and other visual statements, friars and nuns showed that their presence was essential for any society that called itself Catholic.