Saint Francis Borgia

Label

This bronze represents Saint Francis Borgia (1510–1572), a prominent symbol of the Jesuit society. Born into Spanish nobility, Saint Francis rejected his familial titles and wealth following the death of his wife in 1546. Consider the statue’s left foot resting on an overturned crown, as a symbol of Borgia’s forfeiture of status and title when he joined the Jesuit Order.

Jesuits were active in missionary work and were immensely important in the exchange of art and Christian culture across the globe; they traveled to lands colonized by the Spanish. These missionaries, who gained prominence in the wake of the Catholic Reformation, promoted the conversion of Indigenous communities. Their evangelism paved the way for various forms of cultural exchange, including changes in the subject and style of artistic expression in both Europe and colonized lands. Such exchange occurred from starkly different positions of power.

Written by Emma Troost, ’24

From the 2023 exhibition Faith and Empire: The Legacy of Conversion and Commerce in the Early Modern World, curated by students of ARTH 20.04, "Faith and Empire: Art in the Early Modern World" taught by Elizabeth Rice Mattison, Andrew W. Mellon Associate Curator of Academic Programming

Course History

Art History 20.04, Faith and Empire, Beth Mattison, Spring 2023

History 42.01, Women's Gender, and Sexuality Studies 22.01, Gender & European Society, Patrick Meehan, Spring 2024

History 96.39, Saints and Relics, Cecilia Gaposchkin, Spring 2024

Italian 1.01, Introductory Italian I, Noemi Perego, Spring 2024

Italian 11.01, Intensive Italian, Floriana Ciniglia, Spring 2024

Italian 2.01, Introductory Italian II, Floriana Ciniglia, Spring 2024

Italian 3.01, Introductory Italian III, Tania Convertini, Spring 2024

Italian 3.02, Introductory Italian III, Giorgio Alberti, Spring 2024

Exhibition History

European Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Museum of Art, William B. Jaffe and Evelyn A. Jaffe Hall Galleries, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, August 30, 2008-March 8, 2009.

Faith and Empire: The Legacy of Conversion and Commerce in the Early Modern World, Class of 1967 Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, August 12-December 23, 2023.

Ivan Albright Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, April 18, 2008.

Ivan Albright Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, April 20, 2009-present.

Jesuit Art and Iconography, 1550-1800, Saint Peter's College Art Gallery, Jersey City, New Jersey, April 13-May 7, 1993, cat. no. 12 [as Francesco Vergara.]

Jesuit Art in North American Collections, Haggerty Museum, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, March 7, 1990-January 16, 1991, cat. 12 [as North Italian.]

Living with Sculpture: Presence and Power in Europe, 1400–1750, Citrin Family Gallery and Engles Family Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 23, 2024–March 22, 2025.

The Holy Name: Art of the Gesu: Bernini and his Age, Fairfield University Art Museum, Fairfield, Connecticut, February 2-May 19, 2018.

Publication History

Andres de Sales Ferri Chulio, Francisco Vergara Bartual, Escultor, 1713-1761, Sueca, Spain, 1998, p. 190 (illus.)

Drs. Jane ten Brink Goldsmith and Jean-Patrice Marandel, Jesuit Art in North American Collections, Haggerty Museum, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1991, cat. no. 12.

Dr. Marcus B. Burke, Jesuit Art and Iconography, 1550-1800, Saint Peter's College Art Gallery, Jersey City, New Jersey, 1993, cat. no. 12.

T. Barton Thurber, European Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Museum of Art, Hanover: Trustees of Dartmouth College, 2008, pp. 60-61, ill. pp. 60/61, no. 21.

Linda Wolk-Simon, Chrisopher M. S. Johns, The Holy Name Art of the Gesu: Bernini and his Age, Early Modern Catholocism and the Visual Arts, Vol. 17, Philadelphia: Saint Joseph's University Press, 2018, pp 514-516, ill. p. 515, Cat. 47.

Provenance

Andrew Ciechanowiecki, London, until 1989; Valery Taylor Gallery, Denver, Colorado; sold to present collection, 2007.

This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.

We welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. Please contact us at: Hood.Collections@dartmouth.edu

Subjects