(The Immaculate Conception) / Ca 1830 / Oil on canvas / 17.5 x 13 cm / Artist: Damian Domingo / Xavier University Museo de Oro collection

The devotion to one of the Blessed Virgin’s special attributes, the Immaculate Conception, was specially endorsed to the faithful in the Philippines; hence the many interpretations by Filipino artists. Domingo followed the pose painted by Francisco Pacheco, in which Mary’s hands meet at the fingertips in front of her bosom unlike in Murillo’s interpretations where they are overlapped on her chest.

The painting shows Domingo’s exquisite miniaturistic technique. Mary’s face, chin, neck, and hands are finely rendered with hardly any trace of the brush. Her long tresses are delicate, with each strand of hair seemingly rendered one by one by a one-bristle brush. One particular visual expedient used by Domingo in his paintings is evident here: the bending of the knee of standing saintly figures to suggest movement and prevent rigidity.

Domingo used golden tones in the background to suggest a blessed atmosphere. The volume of the clouds is achieved by slight brushwork. These white forms surrounding Mary lend a soaring movement, an illusory effect aided by the floating cherubs flanking Mary and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove above her.

This painting was donated by a descendant of Domingo to the University Museum in Cagayan de Oro City.