Object Details
Artist
José Campeche y Jordán, born San Juan, Puerto Rico 1751-died San Juan, Puerto Rico 1809
Gallery Label
The halo of five stars around the head of San Juan Nepomuceno, the patron saint of confessors, spells out TACUI, Latin for "I did not speak." The letters lead the viewer's eye to the figure of Christ, the object of the saint's devotion. This painting reminded priests of their obligation to remain silent regarding what they heard from those they absolved. José Campeche, a descendant of freed slaves, made a career for himself as an artist and architect, using colonial, European, and folk traditions to create distinctively Puerto Rican artwork at the close of the eighteenth-century.Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Teodoro Vidal Collection
Date
ca. 1798
Object number
1996.91.5
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Painting
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
41 3/4 x 29 1/2 in. (106.1 x 74.9 cm.)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Painting and Sculpture
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Object\foliage\palm
Object\written matter\book
Emblem\cross
Religion\saint\St. John
Link to Original Record
Record ID
saam_1996.91.5