Title
"Obra muy útil y provechosa para los devotos de nuestra Señora, y cofrades de la Cofradía del Rosario"
Alaejos, Esteban de (Late 16th century)
Generic classification
SheetObject
SheetDate
1596Century
Late 16th c.Cultural context / style
Catholic Counter-ReformationDimensions
7 5/16 x 5 3/16Material
PaperIconography / Theme
Virgen del RosarioProvenance
Salamanca (Salamanca, Spain)Current location
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, United States)Inventory Number in Current Collection
47.148Object history
Castilian poetic folio dedicated to promoting devotion to the Virgin of the Rosary. It was published in Salamanca in 1596 by the publisher Pedro Lasso. This particular genre, within the cordel literature, was part of the pedagogical work developed by the Catholic Church during the Counter-Reformation, hence the presence of images, in this case: the Virgin of the Rosary, was fundamental.
This work became part of the catalog of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1947.
The purpose of the Marian poetic sheets was to promote the prayer of the rosary. The confraternities of the Holy Rosary played a fundamental role in this, and made use of these works to spread and popularize the devotion; the text was accompanied by images, in order to better reach the faithful. Pope Pius V attributed to the prayer of the rosary the victory of Lepanto (1571). There had its origin the feast of the Virgin of Victories, that shortly after, in 1573, Gregory XIII happened to designate the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. These impressions of popular character gathered a whole miraculous and folkloric tradition, which in this case was oriented towards devotion, which satisfied very well the interests of the Church during the Counter-Reformation (Puerto Moro, 2022).
Description
The booklet is presented as follows: "A very useful and profitable work for the devotees of Our Lady, and members of the Confraternity of the Rosary. It happened in Fuente la Mora, land of Valencia, to a poor shepherdess devoted to pray her blessed rosary. Composed by Esteban de Alaejos, a native of Monte Sacro. Seen and examined by Father Fray Diego de Ledesma of the Order of St. Benedict. Printed with license in Salamanca in the house of Pedro Lasso. Year of 1596".
Locations
1596
province
Salamanca, Salamanca (Spain)
1947 - present
Bibliography
- PUERTO MORO, Laura (2022): "Del exemplum medieval al pliego poético mariano (s. XVI): promoción de la práctica devocional del rosario a través de la literatura popular impresa", en CASAS-DELGADO, Inmaculada y COLLANTES SÁNCHEZ, Carlos M. (coord.), La literatura de cordel en la sociedad hispánica (Siglos XVI-XX), Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, pp. 188-189.
Record manager
María José Martínez RuizCitation:
María José Martínez Ruiz, ""Obra muy útil y provechosa para los devotos de nuestra Señora, y cofrades de la Cofradía del Rosario"" in Nostra et Mundi. Cultural Heritage from Castile and Leon around the world, Fundación Castilla y León, 2025. https://inventario.nostraetmundi.com/en/work/291
"Obra muy últil y provechosa para los devotos de nuestra Señora y Cofrades de la Cofradía del Rosario..."
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.
