Novo-Hispanic school. Mexico. 17th century.“Portraits of Alexander the Great and El Çid Campeador”Pair of oil paintings o canvas.180 x 102 cm each.An unusual pair of portraits of historical personages, that possibly belonged to a Castilian military emigrant, who admired the artist and commissioned them for his villa, mansion or palace.With rigid brushstrokes, each of which is at the same time detailed and personal, this artist of the Mexican School has painted faces with more indigenous features than those the portrayed characters would have had. And their breastplates are more typical of the time of the portrait than of the real attire that both would have worn. In both large-format canvases they are designated with their names, Alexander the Great and Osid (abbreviation of the time for El Çid), they reflect the hieratic and imposing triumphalism of both warriors, who were generals and conquerors.The portraits correspond to the viceregal pictorial tradition developed in New Spain during the seventeenth century which is linked to the production of official portraits and heroic representations, mixing European influences with a local reinterpretation of the symbols of power, as well as the need to legitimize the power and story of the Hispanic monarchy in Latin America.A portrait of Hernán Cortés, by an anonymous artist, kept in the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca, depicts the conquistador in richly decorated armor, holding a command staff, in a format that links him to the royal portraits of the House of Austria. This portrait shares technical and stylistic similarities with the two portraits we present here, which are possibly based on a larger series of historical and mythological characters, and which show Alexander the Great and El Çid, an emblematic figure in the history of Spain.The three paintings - the one in the museum and these ones in the auction - have solemn composition, with the figures standing, dressed in armor that evokes power and authority. The light comes from a main focus that accentuates the metallic gleam of the armor and facial features, generating a dramatism characteristic of the Baroque and suggesting the influence of 17th century Spanish courtly portraiture, where power was represented and manifested through rich clothing and military ostentation. Alexander the Great is depicted in golden armor ornamented with lion heads on the greaves, a symbol of his strength and connection to divine power. El Çid, with his sword drawn and a defiant gesture, emphasizes the heroic representation with epic overtones. The density of the brushstrokes on the faces refers to European models such as the portraits of Philip II and Philip III, adapted to a Novohispanic context.The visual elements that can be appreciated in the paintings reinforce the heroic condition of the characters: the richly decorated armor indicates nobility and military valor, while the attributes such as weapons, banners and shields refer to their warlike exploits. Alexander the Great appears with iconography reflecting the Renaissance tradition, underlining his image as a strategist and conqueror of empires. Born in 356 B.C., he was a conqueror who formed one of the greatest empires in history. Born in Macedonia, when it was a kingdom in the north of Greece, son of King Philip II of Macedonia, he inherited his father's throne after his death and expanded the territory as far as northern India. He defeated the Persian Empire and conquered a vast territory stretching from his native Greece to northern India. He spread Greek culture, which he would fuse with the cultures of the subjugated regions, language, politics, art, literature and religion.El Çid Campeador represents the idealization of the Christian knight, a model of virtue and bravery. Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (Vivar?, 1048 - Valencia?, 1099), known as El Çid Campeador, was a Castilian military leader who came to dominate the Levant of the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the 11th century at the head of his own army. He conquered Valencia and established an independent lordship in the city from June 18, 1094 until his death. His wife, Jimena Díaz, inherited and maintained it until 1102, when it passed back to Muslim rule. Hero of Castile and crusader for the Reconquest, throughout his life, he placed himself at the orders of different warlords, both Christian and Muslim, fighting as his own master and for his own benefit. His deeds and actions were sung and recounted in Spanish literature in the so-called “Cantar de mío Cid” (Song of El Çid). His name, el Campeador, means expert in pitched battles and his name, El Çid, from the dialectal Arabic (-sidi-), means lord.Representations of Greco-Roman and medieval heroes in viceregal painting also served to consolidate the Creole identity, exalting models of bravery and leadership in a context of growing vindication of the local elites.Reference bibliography:- Burke, Marcus. (2004). "Retratos de poder en la Nueva España". México, INAH.- Gruzinski, Serge. (1993). "El águila y la Sibila: México barroco". FCE.- Museo Nacional de Historia, Castillo de Chapultepec. Inventario de pintura virreinal.- Toussaint, Manuel. (1965). "Pintura colonial en México". UNAM.