Atonement of Christ at the Whipping-Post: Scents, Chants and Novo-Hispanic Paintings

Abstract

In eighteenth-century New Spain, the sense of smell was as relevant as sight to understand the meaning of some paintings, including the anonymous images representing Christ in prison. This paper offers a new reading of those canvases, which focuses on the importance of aromas for interpreting the images. The contrast between fragrances and odors that were meant to be associated with the paintings occurred within the framework of the ritual of the aposentillo; this was a collective devotional practice that prescribed fragrant offerings and songs to make amends with Christ. This pious practice, which Nicolás de Espíndola carefully described in a devotional booklet titled Desagravios de Jesús, aimed to create an olfactory didactical experience. On the
one hand, such experience allowed the devotees to learn the symbolic meanings of the image by associating them with various aromas. On the other hand, it allowed them to embody and embrace the theological concept of reparation; both circumstances were required for the believers to achieve three goals: to link emotionally with the paintings, strengthen their relationship with the divinity, and reinforce their belonging to a religious community