#19thcentury

She stands embracing a prayer book, isolated inside a dark, Gothic chapel after her seduction by Faust, orchestrated by the demon Mephistopheles. The visual execution relies on dramatic chiaroscuro, using light to illuminate the white gown against the dark background. Following the War of the Pacific, Oquendo chose a life of domestic and religious seclusion in Lima, ironically mirroring Margarita's fate. Rebeca Oquendo remains "a rare historical exception", breaking 19th-century gender barriers by training under French masters and becoming the first Peruvian woman to exhibit at the prestigious Paris Salon in 1870. Loc. Collection of the Torre Tagle Palace, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lima, Peru. Dim. 138 cm x 94.5 cm (54.3 in x 37.2 in)