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Secondary sourcePainting18th century (copy)

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (Juan de Miranda)

Juan de Miranda · 18th century (copy)

A full-length portrait of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz as a nun at her writing desk, attributed to Juan de Miranda.

This portrait depicts Sor Juana as a learned nun writing at her desk, shaping how she has been visually remembered.

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Full-length painting of a nun in a black habit and white cloak with a rosary and a round medallion on her chest. She holds a quill over a paper on a desk. Behind her are bookshelves of leather volumes, and the desk front bears the inscription 'FIEL COPIA'.
Juan de Miranda (attrib.), Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, 18th-century copy.

About this source

What it is

This painting is attributed to Juan de Miranda, a contemporary of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. It is described as a faithful 18th-century copy of an earlier portrait, as the inscription 'FIEL COPIA' on the painting notes.

It shows Sor Juana in her nun's habit, holding a quill over paper at her desk, surrounded by shelves of books.

Why it matters

Because it may reflect a likeness made close to Sor Juana's own lifetime, this image is one of the sources historians use to picture her. The books behind her and the quill in her hand present her specifically as a learned writer, not only as a religious woman.

Look closer

  • Why might the painter have chosen to surround her with books rather than religious objects alone?
  • What does the inscription 'faithful copy' suggest about how later generations wanted to preserve her image?
  • What can't a painted portrait tell us that her own writing can?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Juana Inés de la Cruz on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Open book showing the title page of 'Fama, y obras posthumas del Fenix de Mexico' by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, published in Madrid in 1714. A library stamp and a number 157448 appear on the left page.Letter

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Respuesta a Sor Filotea de la Cruz

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz · 1691

Printed page from a 1714 edition of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz's works, headed 'Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz' and 'REDONDILLAS', with the poem 'Hombres necios' printed in two columns of Spanish verse in old-style typeface, page number 85 at top right.Book

Primary source

Hombres necios

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

Title page of 'Poemas de la única poetisa americana, musa décima, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz', Madrid 1714, first volume. Printed in black letter with large capitals, listing the author as a religious professed in San Jerónimo, Mexico City, and the dedication to Saint Joseph and Saint Teresa.Book

Primary source

Primero sueño

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz · 1692

Title page of a 1695 printed broadside in Spanish, with an ornate border. Heading reads 'Protesta de la fe, y renovación de los votos religiosos, que hizo, y dejó escrita con su sangre la M. Juana Inés de la Cruz, Monja Profesa en S. Gerónimo de Mexico.' Below: an indulgence notice, a central 'JHS' monogram, and the imprint 'En Mexico, por Doña Maria de Benavides Viuda de Juan de Ribera. Año de 1695.'Document

Primary source

Protesta de la fe y renovación de los votos religiosos

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz · 1695

Title page of Inundación Castalida, 1689, by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Text in old Spanish typeface names her as the unique poetess, religious of San Jerónimo in Mexico City, and gives the dedication to the Condesa de Paredes, Marquesa de la Laguna, and the publisher Juan García Infanzón in Madrid.Book

Primary source

Inundación castálida

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz · 1689

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