Novo-Hispanic School. Possibly Mexico. Late 17th century.

Novo-Hispanic School. Possibly Mexico. Late 17th century."Tota Pulchra"Oil on copper. Signed with the initial "J".23 x 18 cm.Showing symbolism and metaphors of the Immaculate Conception and the so-called "Litany of Loreto," this is a small Novo-Hispanic painting on copper depicting  the Immaculate Virgin of the Apocalypse, as described by Saint John in Chapter 12. The theological symbolism and metaphors to support the Litanies mainly arise from the interpretation that the Holy Fathers make of the Song of Solomon. All these symbols would end up embodying an iconographic prototype called the "Tota Pulchra." This model narratively placed these allegories around the image of the Virgin (here within 8 beads of the Rosary) or as part of the landscape and background of the artworks that were based on this theme. The words of the Song of Solomon were reinterpreted by the patristics and applied to Mary in a figurative sense.In this painting, the Tota Pulchra appears in the centre "as a woman clothed in the sun, with twelve stars on her head," "Eletta ut Sol" (chosen, shining, and brilliant like the sun). She is like the sun, as through her virtues, she radiates light like the solar orb; also "Pulcra ut Luna" (beautiful as the moon). The moon or crescent moon is a symbol of the Mother-Mediator step or bridge between earth and heaven, divinity and humanity. It also has a feminine aspect, in contrast to the masculinity of the Sun. The dependence of the moon on solar light is an image of Mary's relationship with God: "Mary has no value by herself; all her value, all her greatness comes from God."  She is a simile of fertility, mythologically associated with the Prime Matter, Virgin Mothers, gods of love, and even wisdom. The moon, in its cycles, also marks the rhythm of life.In this celestial firmament, as a "Stella matutinis" (morning star / sea star): "I see it, although not now; I behold it, although not near: A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel" (Num. 24, 17). The star is not only a guiding element but also a metaphor for hope, which, in darkness, longs for the arrival of the day. Just as a star led the Magi from the East to worship the Christ Child, the Virgin is the star that leads to Christ. By analogy, this meaning can be applied to the "Star of the Sea": just as sailors of old oriented themselves by the stars, Mary, as a star, safely guides the believer to port, and places the world, immersed in darkness, in the hands of Jesus, the true Light.  As the "Morning Star," she would come to evoke the star that shines during dawn, before the sun rises, announcing the day. Likewise, the Virgin Mary announces the arrival of the Lord, the Sun that is coming. Similarly, stars, messengers of God in biblical tradition, such as the "morning star," evoke the symbol of the perpetual rebirth of the day, the very principle of life.Continuing with the interpretation of the symbols reflected in the eight beads surrounding the Virgin: To the left, "Templum Dei" (temple of God): "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you?" (1 Cor. 6, 19). The Pauline New Testament image of the Temple of the Holy Spirit develops the idea of Mary's purity. Mary is the Temple of the Holy Spirit by nature, not only because it refers to her purity in her virginity and immaculate conception but also because, like the ancient Temple of Jerusalem, it housed the real presence of Divinity. On the same side, "Fons Signatus" (sealed fountain): "A garden enclosed, a fountain sealed" (Song of Sol. 4, 15). According to tradition, in the earthly paradise, there were four rivers that originated from a central origin, that is, from the very foot of the Tree of Life. This fountain or origin of everything is considered the 'fons iuventutis,' an image of the vital force of man and all substances. The fountain is also an allegory of feminine fertility, in addition to resembling wisdom. This symbol applied to Mary is interpreted as a vivifying and purifying element. Water is a mother and matrix in Jewish tradition. It is the origin of creation. Likewise, the Virgin is the source of a new life. From her divine motherhood has sprung the true life for humanity: Jesus Christ. "Puteus Aquarum," "well of living waters" (Song of Sol. 4, 15). Here we find a new metaphor of water with its rich nuances: water of life, life-giving, granting salvation to humanity. Let's not forget the importance that having a well nearby had for that nomadic Semitic culture, in the desert environment they inhabited, where it was also a meeting place. The transcendence of water and its vital significance is further increased in this context. It was a symbol of abundance and the source of life. Mary would be that well, in the sense that she contained in her womb the true water that gives life. The remaining two beads on the left are not clearly visible.To the right, "Scala Coeli" (stairway to heaven): "And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it" (Gen. 28, 12). The ladder is clearly an ascending symbol, a path by which one can go up and down, a union between heaven and earth. Patristics and medieval mysticism have seen the soul's ascent to God typified by this figure. In Byzantium, Mary is called the "ladder of heaven" through which God descended to men and through which she allows them to ascend to heaven. Below right, "Speculum sine macula" (mirror without stain): "She is a reflexion of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness" (Wis. 7, 26). The mirror alludes to the bodily purity of the Virgin. One of the titles of the Litany of Loreto is "Mirror of Justice." Mary reflects divine holiness, that is, perfection. In Mary, "God was reflected and reproduced through his faithful counterpart Jesus, without hurting and altering the mirror itself." Likewise, this element is usually related to the soul and the reflexion it produces. The third one to the right, "Arca foederis" (ark of the covenant): "And God instructed Noah to build the ark to save his family and animals from the flood" (Gen. 6, 9-22). The ark of the covenant, for the Jews, is the most respected monument of their religion, the place where the tablets of the Law are kept and venerated. And Mary, with Jesus in her womb, restores "and saves from the flood" the relationship that man had broken with God. The fourth to the right is also not clearly visible.Two more figures to consider are the devil, whom Mary stands on, and an angel, in the lower-left corner, with a bow and arrow. "An enormous red dragon ... stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born." "And that devil, or Satan, was cast down to the earth, and his angels with him. (Rev. 12) Since the text says that the archangel Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, one might think it was one of his angels. But being below, at the level of the dragon, it must be one of those who were cast down with it to hell and the angel is also fighting against the Virgin Mary. In fact, he points his arrow at the pregnant Woman's belly and not at the dragon next to him, which would have been expected of angels of light.In conclusion, this is a simple copper that reflects Mary as the gate of Heaven, through which the Saviour has come to humanity, and at the same time, the gate that leads to Him, as taught in Catholic dogma.