Tomás de Merlo: Guatemala in Washington

31/8/26 - Acquisition - Washington, The National Gallery of Art - Although Van Dyck never went to Guatemala, his works crossed the Atlantic; or at least they were disseminated through prints, serving as aids to evangelisation for missionaries and as models for local artists. Thus, the National Gallery in Washington recently enriched its collections with a Lamentation over the Dead Christ by Tomás de Merlo, purchased in 2026 from Jaime Eguiguren Arts & Antiquities in Buenos Aires, which had exhibited it at TEFAF in 2025 (ill. 1). Painted on copper c. 1730–1739, the composition is inspired by a painting by Anthony van Dyck, now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Antwerp, which was engraved by Hendrick Snyers and Paulus Pontius (ill. 2). But whereas the Flemish master gives Christ a…