José Montes de Oca (Mexican, active ca. 1788–1820). <em>Life of Saint Philip of Jesus (Vida de San Felipe de Jesus)</em>, 1801. Engraved prints on white antique laid paper, modern binding, size of cover: 9 1/8 x 6 7/16 in. (23.2 x 16.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1944, Purchased with funds given by the Estate of Warren S.M. Mead, 44.195.50 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 44.195.50_page04_PS6.jpg)

José Montes de Oca (Mexican, active ca. 1788–1820). Life of Saint Philip of Jesus (Vida de San Felipe de Jesus), 1801. Engraved prints on white antique laid paper, modern binding, size of cover: 9 1/8 x 6 7/16 in. (23.2 x 16.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1944, Purchased with funds given by the Estate of Warren S.M. Mead, 44.195.50 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 44.195.50_page04_PS6.jpg)

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Life of Saint Philip of Jesus (Vida de San Felipe de Jesus)

José Montes de Oca

European Art

These three objects tell a story of Mexico’s early nineteenth-century Creole patriotism. The Mexican independence movement was fueled by Creoles, who were often denied a voice in colonial government. The 1821 Act of Independence formalized the independence that had been declared in 1810 and was signed by many Creole aristocrats, among them Don José María Gómez de Cervantes, whose portrait is on view nearby. New World figures like the Virgin of Guadalupe, who miraculously appeared to the Indian Juan Diego in 1521, and Saint Felipe de Jesús, the first Mexican-born saint, became important nationalist symbols, supporting the idea that the independence of Mexico was divinely ordained.

Estos tres objetos cuentan la historia del patriotismo criollo en el México de inicios del siglo XIX. El movimiento de independencia mexicano fue promovido por criollos, a quienes con frecuencia se les negó voz en el gobierno colonial. El Acta de la Independencia de 1821 formalizó la independencia que había sido declarada en 1810 y fue firmada por muchos aristócratas criollos, entre ellos don José María Gómez de Cervantes, cuyo retrato se exhibe aquí cerca. Las imágenes sagradas del Nuevo Mundo como la Virgen de Guadalupe, la que milagrosamente se le apareció al indio Juan Diego en 1521, y San Felipe de Jesús, el primer santo nacido en México, llegaron a ser importantes símbolos nacionalistas que apoyaron la idea de que la independencia de México era un designio divino.

ARTIST José Montes de Oca, Mexican, active ca. 1788–1820

MEDIUM Engraved prints on white antique laid paper, modern binding

DATES 1801

DIMENSIONS size of cover: 9 1/8 x 6 7/16 in. (23.2 x 16.4 cm) average sheet size: 8 1/2 x 5 3/4 in. (21.6 x 14.6 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS European Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 44.195.50

CREDIT LINE Museum Expedition 1944, Purchased with funds given by the Estate of Warren S.M. Mead

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION José Montes de Oca (Mexican, active ca. 1788–1820). Life of Saint Philip of Jesus (Vida de San Felipe de Jesus), 1801. Engraved prints on white antique laid paper, modern binding, size of cover: 9 1/8 x 6 7/16 in. (23.2 x 16.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1944, Purchased with funds given by the Estate of Warren S.M. Mead, 44.195.50 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 44.195.50_page04_PS6.jpg)

IMAGE overall, page 4, 44.195.50_page04_PS6.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2012

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