Arte Sacra: Roman Catholic Art from Portuguese India

 Arte Sacra: Roman Catholic Art from Portuguese India is an exhibition and publication project aimed at introducing this seldom-recognized and little understood material to the broader public.  This catalog illustrates a selection of work from the collection of Dr. Siddhartha K. Bhansali, including sculptures of various sizes, materials, and iconographies representing saints, angels, and the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph).  These works of art provide a lens through which to briefly explore the history of Christianity in India, as well as the material legacy of the evangelization efforts that went hand-in-hand with the Portuguese colonialist enterprise in the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries.

From the depictions of Saint Thomas through the representations of important founders of religious orders who evangelized in Asia and representations of some important Roman Catholic saints, including two saints specifically tied to the history of the missions of India, Saints Francis Xavier and John de Britto, the establishment of Roman Catholicism in India is outlined.  The story of the Redemption is spelled out as well.  It begins with the Incarnation itself, depicted by the Christ child sleeping in the crèche and then cradled in his mother's arms and in those of Saint Joseph.  It also includes depictions of him at later stages of his life, from his guise as the Good Shepherd through his Passion and death on the Cross, ending with the figure of his dead body in his mother's arms, the Pietà.

This catalog has been published in conjunction with the exhibition Arte Sacra: Roman Catholic Art from Portuguese India displayed at NOMA, and is written by guest curator Dr. Robert J. Del Bontà.  It includes a forward from The Montine McDaniel Director, Susan M. Taylor.

Dimensions: 9.0 x 7.25