Painted in Cuzco in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century, this astonishing work is a portrayal of the hellish punishment that awaits all liars. The images of Hell which accompanied depictions of the Last Judgment were central to the successful evangelization of the indigenous people sanctioned by the Spanish Crown from the beginning of their conquest of the Aztec and Inca empires and carried out by the various missionary groups such as the Jesuits, Dominicans and others. Indeed, monstrous depictions of Hell proved a formidable weapon in encouraging a moral society and punishing vice and sin (R. Mujica Pinilla, “Hell in the Andes: The Last Judgment in the Art of Viceregal Peru,” Contested Visions in the Spanish Colonial World, I. Katzew, ed., exh. cat., Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2011, 178-201).

The paintings produced in these colonial territories were informed by the numerous European engravings available which provided training and served as models for the local painters in fulfilling their commissions. The unknown master of this remarkable painting was clearly familiar with the many images related to the Last Judgment and the gruesome torments of Hell such as Tormento da Eternidade, (Eternal Torment) from the print workshop of Antonio de’ Rossi (1700-1753), an engraving in which a demon is portrayed pulling the proverbial “long tongue” out of a manacled soul as in the present lot. (2) Furthermore, depictions of the Last Judgment and Hell which provided a visceral instruction to the native peoples throughout the various churches in the Viceroyalty of Peru served as possible examples. Clearly visible at every church attendance, these paintings teeming with giant cauldrons filled with sinners burning amidst incredible monsters, snakes, dragons, and demons reinforced strict adherence to the teachings of the Church.

Moreover, numerous spiritual writings from the various religious orders such as El infierno abierto by Italian Jesuit Paolo Segneri, renowned intellectual, preacher and theologian (1624-1694) which had been translated into Spanish might have been instrumental in elaborating themes about the eternal torture and agony of Hell. This was part of the zealous Christianity preached by religious orders such as the Jesuits who often encouraged a fervent piety—one that often embraced deep emotion in their spiritual exercises and intense purging of one’s sins—such as lying, gossiping or possessing evil tongues or las malas lenguas.

Spain ruled a vast overseas empire that included territories across the Atlantic and in the Pacific starting in the late fifteenth century and ending in the nineteenth. The Protestant Reformation (early sixteenth century) had challenged the Church and led to a split of the faithful communion not seen since the Great Schism in 1054, and as a result, religious wars were fought for nearly 150 years throughout Europe. These powerful images provided the visual support to the messianic message of salvation and religious unity promoted by Church and the Spanish Monarchy throughout its global realms.

M.J. Aguilar, Ph.D.