Artist: Stefano della Bella Title: ‘Decoration for a Thesis in Honor of Saint Francis Solano in two parts: the top part with Saint Francis Solano with his arms raised and a sun in his hands with Mount Potosí at right, the lower part with the doctor of the church holding a banner and two putti below’ Date: c. 1639 Location: Rome, Italy Materials and technique: Etching Dimensions: Sheet (Top): 10 7/16 × 14 5/8 in. (26.5 × 37.1 cm) Sheet (Bottom): 9 3/4 × 14 1/2 in. (24.7 × 36.9 cm) Rights/Image Permissions: Public Domain. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
When Francisco Pizzaro invaded Peru in 1532, the physical control of the region was not the only goal of the conquest. The subjugation of the indigenous populations under the Spanish Crown, was aided by the efforts to also convert the people of Peru to Roman Catholicism. Work began almost immediately with both the destruction of native temples and their replacement with Christian places of worship. In 1550, the efforts were fully reinforced by the Church with the presence of various Catholic Orders, among them the Franciscans. One member of the Franciscans evangelizing in Peru around this time was Saint Francis Solano, the central figure of the top sheet. Solano was best known among his peers, and those in Europe, for his distinct ability to connect linguistically as well as spiritually with potential converts among the Peruvian peoples. His personal connections influence him to protect the native Peruvians even from his own countrymen. As such, a younger member of the same order, Friar Buenaventura de Salinas y Cordoba, would take the works of Solano and present them in the Holy See via a theological thesis in the attempt to shed light on his success. Stefano della Bella created this work as way to further disperse the ideas shared during the event. The top sheet depicts both the successes of Solano’s evangelization, as well as his efforts to protect the Peruvians. The bottom sheet lists the sixteen theses presented as a part of the defense, surrounding an image of Duns Scotus, an early Franciscan theologian, influential on the order’s beliefs. While the actions of Solano could be viewed as admirable from a variety of perspectives, the entire evangelization of the region is much less so. The erasure of cultural practices formed over generations in the Andean region happened almost instantaneously with Spanish colonization. The conversion efforts made this all the easier. By building trust and establishing a system of beliefs belonging to the new oppressors among the oppressed, the indigenous populations became much less predisposed to offer legitimate resistance to their own subjugation and the destruction of their culture.
Research for this piece was done by Carter Slette. Carter is a senior Biology, Environmental and Sustainability Studies, and Spanish major, and a minor in Art and Design.