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| The Virgin of the Navigators by Alejo Fernandez |
The Virgin of the Navigators is an
altarpiece at Real Alcázar in Seville, Spain that was
painted by Alejo Fernandez in 1535. It shows the Blessed Virgin
sheltering a group of people connected with the Spanish voyages to the New
World including Christopher Columbus, a group of American natives and some of
galleons that made the voyage. It is
believed to be the first European depiction of indigenous people in the Americas. Spanish sailors prayed in front of this image
for a good wind to assist them in their voyages. For that reason it is
sometimes called Our Lady of the Good Wind.
