Retrato de Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (Puebla-Lamborn copy)

What it is

This oil painting is a copy, known as the Puebla–Lamborn version, of a portrait of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz originally made by Fray Miguel de Herrera. The signature on this copy was identified by the scholar Guillermo Schmidhuber and the work is discussed by Margo Glantz in her study of Sor Juana.

It shows Sor Juana in a dark veil and habit, holding a red-covered book and an oval medallion with a religious scene.

Why it matters

The existence of multiple copies of portraits like this one shows how Sor Juana's image as a learned nun was reproduced and circulated across colonial Mexico in the century after her death. It reflects the way she was remembered and celebrated by later generations.

Look closer

• Why do you think so many copies of portraits of Sor Juana were made?
• What do the book and the medallion in her hands suggest about how she wanted, or was wanted, to be remembered?
• What might be different between this copy and the original painting by Herrera?