María Josefa Sánchez is a rare 17th-century Spanish female artist.
Probably working in Castile, she specialized in the production of painted Crosses, known as the Cruz de Celda, sold to pilgrims on their way to northern Spain. A popular object for private worship in Spain and Latin America, these Crosses would have originally been held by the owner as an aid to prayer in the way illustrated by Diego Velasquez in his Portrait of Mother Jerónima de la Fuente (Madrid, Museo del Prado). Also known as Josepha Sanchez, the artist has only come to light since 1989 with the discovery of a number of signed works. In recent years examples have been acquired by major American museums, such as the Princeton University Art Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Meadows Museum, Dallas and the Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin.
María Josefa produced at least fifteen painted crucifixes, between 1639 and 1652, several of which are signed and dated. She is thought to have been a nun or a novice since the use of the word Doña (or D in this case) in her signed crosses might suggest that she could have been a noble woman, and the existence of signed works indicates a certain level of recognition and prestige. In several versions the artist’s signature appears between a tuft of grass at the base of the cross: ‘D.MR Josepha Sánchez /faciebat’, followed by a date.
Almost all of the known Crosses by María Josefa Sánchez comprise two narrow wooden panels of approximately 10 cm width, spanning around 50-60 cm in length and 30-40 cm width from the edges of the arms; most were constructed with the lateral piece lapped beneath the vertical. The support was prepared with a dark paint, and the edges of the cross were outlined with a thin line painted either in a light color or gilt, some of which has worn away over the years by the hands that grasped the object. A cartoon or template was then applied, from which an image of the crucified Christ and a cartellino was traced onto the wooden support. The emaciated, elongated figure follows the vertical and horizontal lines of the crucifix. Secondary figures at the lateral edges and the base may include the sun and moon, the Virgin Mary, St. Anthony, a young girl, or a skull. When a signature is present it is at the base of the cross, usually among grasses. Appropriately for a devotional object that was most likely not designed for public display, María Josefa Sánchez’s cross is devoid of artistic flourishes.
Cell crosses were often produced anonymously and are only rarely associated with specific artists. The striking repetition of form and execution in María Josefa’s small, devotional images indicates the existence of a popular, probably localized, demand. The variation in the secondary details painted on each cross suggests that they were produced as individualized commissions.
The crucified figure is painted in a style that reflects the artist’s knowledge of, and interest in, other representations of the theme by artists such as Luis de Morales, that were disseminated throughout Spain through prints, notably those of Luis Tristán. The cell crosses also owe much to the realism of Francisco de Zurbarán, a slightly earlier artist than Sánchez. The shadowed outlines of the figure of Christ may have been inspired by a knowledge of Zurbarán’s painted scenes of the Crucifixion emerging from darkness, which appear almost sculptural, such as in the latter artist’s Crucified Christ.
Selected artworks
Top 3 auction prices
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Details
Further Reading
Gretchen Hirschauer and Catherine Metzger, Luis Meléndez: Master of the Spanish Still Life, exh. cat., Washington D.C., 2009.
Peter Cherry, Luis Meléndez: Still Life Painter, Madrid, 2006.
Notable Exhibitions
San Diego, San Diego Museum of Art, Spain: Art and Empire in the Golden Age, 18 May – 2 September 1989. Curated by Michael A. Brown.
Baltimore, Baltimore Museum of Art, Leaving Her Mark: A History of Women Artists in Europe, 1400–1800, 1 October 2023 – 7 January 2024; travelled to Toronto, Art Gallery of Ontario, 6 May – 1 July 2024. Curated by Andaleeb Banta and Alexa Greist.