San Ignacio de Bogotá Church’s Pyx

Between March 3rd and May 31st, 2015, the Museo del Prado will exhibit the San Ignacio de Bogotá Church's Pyx, known as "The Lettuce" due to its invaluable composition with many precious stones, especially emeralds in a great variety of green shades. Its exhibition in Spain will mark the presence of Colombia as a featured country at ARCOmadrid 2015. According to hoyesarte.com, "this treasure of Baroque art, manufactured in what was then called New Granada, is the work of the goldsmith José Galaz. It took him seven years to finish (1700-1707) and it features 1,485 emeralds, one sapphire, 13 rubies, 28 diamonds, 62 baroque pearls, and 168 amethysts. It is considered not only one of Latin America's richest and most beautiful religious jewels, but also a testament to what took place during the Baroque period in a land of goldsmiths, and how this artistic style found new life in a country where gold and emerald where abundant and the indigenous culture of the continent's most renowned metal artisans remained vibrant. Banco de la República acquired this Pyx from the Jesuits, and it is now a part of its Art Collection, which can be visited in the bank's museum in Bogotá. Along with the collection of the Museo del Oro, it tells the story of 3500 years of art in Colombia. Since 2010, the Prado, with the support of its Friend's Foundation, has presented the program Obra invitada, an activity that makes it possible to exhibit in the museum unique works of art on loan from prestigious institutions from around the world, which complement the Prado's own collections and foster a dialog between different cultures and historical periods. "The Lettuce" is the sixth invited artwork, and the first non-pictorial one. To display this work the museum has selected Hall 18A of the Villanueva Building, which house works by Claudio Coello, Herrera "the younger", and Antolínez, among others. These are dynamic, highly chromatic, exuberant paintings where, as in "The Lettuce", richness and splendor are placed at the service of the Catholic faith.