1750-1770

Nun's Shield showing the Assumption of the Virgin

José Mariano Farfán de los Godos

Mexican, active second half 18th century

This escudo de monja, or literally "nun's shield," was a type of devotional badge worn by nuns in New Spain (the colonial territories in North and Central America governed by Spain). These badges originated in response to reforms aimed at curtailing the luxury of convent life by banning the wearing of devotional ornaments made of gold, precious stones, or other valuable materials. In accordance with these reforms, yet also in defiance of them, the nuns instead wore elaborately painted badges such as this one, which were often the work of the finest artists of the period.

José Mariano Farfán de los Godos was a prolific artist who is known to have painted other escudos besides this one. For this example, he rendered the scene on copper, a material often used by New Spain artists to create small devotional works.