3-098-883 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Virgin of Mercy Appearing to Saint Peter Nolasco, 1682. Peter Nolasco (1189-1256) was a Catholic nobleman and knight known for founding the Royal and Military Order of Our Lady of Mercy of the Redemption of the Captives (the Mercedarians). On the night of 1 August 1218, the Virgin Mary supposedly appeared to Peter Nolasco, King James I , and the Dominican friar Raymond of Peñafort to exhort them to create a new military and religious order dedicated to redeeming Christian captives in the lands of the infidels. The painting specifically depicts the Mother of God dressed in white, with the Mercedarian shield on her chest, bestowing this same habit upon Peter Nolasco, who is kneeling before her. The nocturnal nature of the scene is emphasised by a dark background against which the clarity of the Virgin's figure stands out, radiating light from the halo surrounded by cherub heads. Her dress becomes the central element of the composition, positioned at the centre of a diagonal line that connects the Virgin and Nolasco, as founder and intercessor between her and the new Redeemer friars.