The Vessel of the Church of the Pedro de Osma Museum in Lima: Considerations from Iconographic and Epigraphic Points of View

The painting Nave de la Iglesia (The Vessel of the Church), created from the engraving Triumphus Ecclesiae by Philippe Thomassin (1602) and housed in the Pedro de Osma Museum in Lima, represents a long-standing allegory, popular in 17th-century European art, which exalts the celebration of the power of the Catholic Church. This study offers an iconographic and epigraphic analysis of the work, considering both the relationship with its reference model and the contrasts perceived when comparing it with other examples of ships from Viceregal America with respect to some significant elements. The presence of a considerable number of Latin inscriptions also gives the opportunity to present some considerations on the use of a language that represented the authority of the Church and communicated a salvific message that needed to be strongly affirmed in the New World.