Madonna and Child with Bird

Cuzco, Peru, circa 1765

Oil, gold, canvas

Artist: Ignacio Chacón

This painting hangs in the Denver Art Museum and is from Cuzco, Peru. In Cuzco, paintings often incorporated birds or bird feathers into images of the Virgin and Christ to indicate their sacred and honored position in colonial society. The infant Christ is holding a rose and the painting is framed in roses, signifying Jesus as the Rose “that sprung from the root of Jesse”. Consider Jesus as an infant and imagine Him playing with a toy bird like this one in His Mother’s lap! May the infant Christ fill you with His playfulness, child-like trust and happiness this Christmas season!