Peruvian painter, early 18th century

"Saint Gertrude the Great"

Oil on canvas

48 ¾ x 35 ½ inches; framed size 52 1/2 x 40 1/2 inches

Inscribed:  In coide Gertrudis invenietis me

Gertrude (of Helfta) was a thirteenth-century Benedictine nun and abbess from Saxony who became the model and guide for St. Theresa of Ávila.

The characteristic of her piety was her devotion to the Sacred Heart. She is depicted here cradling the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a symbol of the Eucharist and Christ’s sacrifice of his life for sinners. As is often the case, the tiny Christ Child himself is painted inside the Sacred Heart, with a ribbon of Latin text coming from his mouth which this writer loosely translates as ‘through Gertrudis, you will find me.’

Gertrude herself wrote her texts in Latin. Her rings symbolize her status as a bride of Christ. The golden crozier is carried by high-ranking Roman Catholic prelates, but also by the leader of a community of nuns (in this case, Gertrude is an abbess)

“In compliance with a petition from the king of Spain she was declared patroness of the West Indies; in Peru her feast is celebrated with great pomp, and in New Mexico a town was built in her honor and bears her name.”