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Secondary sourcePainting19th century

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Portrait by Antonio Tenorio

Antonio Tenorio · 19th century

A 19th-century imagined portrait of Sor Juana painted long after her death.

A later imagined portrait created to commemorate Sor Juana's religious and literary legacy.

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Oil painting of a woman in a dark veil and white wimple, with a pale face and dark eyes, wearing a cream-colored garment with a wooden cross on the shoulder. An oval medallion with a small scene of figures is held in front of her chest. Brown background.
Antonio Tenorio, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, 19th century.

About this source

What it is

This oil painting by Antonio Tenorio, made in the 19th century, shows a woman in a dark veil and white wimple wearing a cream garment with a wooden cross, holding an oval medallion with a small scene.

Why it matters

Because it was painted long after Sor Juana's death, it is not a direct record of her appearance but an imagined image created to honor her memory. It shows how later generations continued to depict and celebrate her as a nun and intellectual figure.

Look closer

  • What choices did the artist make to represent her religious identity?
  • Since this was painted well after she lived, what can and can't it tell us about her real appearance?
  • Why might artists keep creating new portraits of historical figures long after their deaths?

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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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

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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

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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

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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

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