La Lechuga (English: ''The Lettuce'') is a

monstrance A monstrance, also known as an ostensorium (or an ostensory), is a vessel used in Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, High Church Lutheran and Anglican churches for the display on an altar of some object of piety, such as the consecrated Eucharisti ...

made between 1700 and 1707 by José de Galaz for the of

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...

, then part of the

New Kingdom of Granada New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

. It was paid for by a group of

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

, probably in order to hide the gems contained in it from the Spanish Crown. La Lechuga is owned by the

Bank of the Republic The Bank of the Republic () is the central bank of Colombia. It was initially established under the regeneration era in 1880. Its main modern functions, under the new Colombian constitution were detailed by Congress according tLey 31 de 1992 On ...

and is on permanent display at the

Miguel Urrutia Art Museum The Museo de Arte Miguel Urrutia (MAMU) ( English: Miguel Urrutia Art Museum) is an art museum located in La Candelaria neighborhood of Bogotá, Colombia. It is managed by the Bank of the Republic of Colombia and used to display its art collect ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

History

It is widely believed that a group of Jesuits ordered La Lechuga to be produced in order to hide the gemstones contained in it from Spanish Crown. The Jesuits contracted the Spaniard José de Galaz who made the monstrance, with the help of two other goldsmiths, between 1700 and 1707 for a fee of $1,100 Reales (equivalent to $100,000 USD in 1996). When José de Galaz finished making La Lechuga on 16 July 1707, he estimated it to be worth $20,000 Reales, or $2,000,000 USD in 1996. The name comes from the large number of

emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr., and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991). ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York ...

s built into the monstrance, which make it look as green as a

lettuce Lettuce (''Lactuca sativa'') is an annual plant of the family Asteraceae mostly grown as a leaf vegetable. The leaves are most often used raw in Green salad, green salads, although lettuce is also seen in other kinds of food, such as sandwiche ...

. La Lechuga was held by San Ignacio Church until 1767 when King

Charles III of Spain Charles III (; 20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788) was King of Spain in the years 1759 to 1788. He was also Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Charles I (1731–1735); King of Naples, as Charles VII; and King of Sicily, as Charles III (or V) (1735� ...

ordered all Spanish possessions to be removed back to Spain. In order to keep it out of Spanish hands, a group of Jesuits hid Le Lechuga. Its fate during this period of concealment is largely unknown and La Lechuga was not seen in public again until 1985, when Colombia's central bank, the Bank of the Republic, bought it for $3,500,000 USD. Today, La Lechuga is on permanent display at the

in Bogotá, Colombia, as part of the Banco de la Republica Art Collection.

Description

The treasure is a prime example of the gold and silver

eucharistic The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...

objects made for Catholic church altars in South America particularly in colonial times. It was used to present the consecrated "

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County * Host Island, in the Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica People * ...

", as part of the liturgical ritual of the

Feast of Corpus Christi The Feast of Corpus Christi (), also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, is a liturgical solemnity celebrating the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist; the feast is observed by the Latin Church, in addition to ...

, in which it is carried in procession during for

adoration Adoration is respect, reverence, strong admiration, and love for a certain person, place, or thing. The term comes from the Latin ''adōrātiō'', meaning "to give Homage (arts), homage or worship to someone or something". Ancient Rome In class ...

by the faithful. As a sculpture, it has both

high High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift t ...

and low relief modelling. Although highly ornate, the form is that of a typical monstrance, with a cross-crowned disc forming a circular frame to hold the host, supported by an angel, who stands atop a knobbed stem, allowing the faithful to see it. The whole item weighs 4.9 kilograms (10 lbs 13 oz). The main disc is an elaborate circular form with undulating rays symbolizing the sun. From the centre outwards,

baroque pearl Baroque pearls are pearls with an irregular, non-spherical shape. Shapes can range from minor aberrations to distinctly ovoid, curved, pinched, or lumpy shapes. Most cultured freshwater pearls are baroque because freshwater pearls are mantle-tis ...

s immediately surround the space for the host, in turn surrounded by waved gold spikes and four tiers of mostly square-cut emeralds. A thick garland of green enamelled vine leaves with amethyst grapes festoon twenty undulating rays, each terminating in a pearl. Between these undulating rays are twenty-two sunbeams, which each end in radiating gold and emerald sun-discs.Banco de la Rebuplica - 2015 interactive photo details provided in Spanis

The whole circular schema is topped by an emerald cross and below is supported by an angelic " Atlas (mythology), Atlas" figure in a tunic and flowing drapery of blue and green enamel. The angel wears golden

caligae ''Caligae'' (Latin; : ) are heavy-soled hobnailed military sandal-boots that were worn as standard issue by Roman legionary foot-soldiers and auxiliaries, including cavalry. History ''Caligae'' (: ''caliga'') are heavy-duty, thick-soled ...

(open Roman boots), and above its head on the front is a single large yellow sapphire; on the reverse side is a large, square, high-quality

amethyst Amethyst is a Violet (color), violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek from - , "not" and (Ancient Greek) / (Modern Greek), "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from Alcohol into ...

. Knobbed for a secure hand grip, the stem is styled like a fountain with emerald streams dripping onto an amethyst-studded base, which itself stands atop a footed stand with eight-lobes. Zoomorphic forms (vines and creatures) are densely packed in

low relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

gold modelling resembling a paradise. According to the current owners, La Lechuga is considered one of the "richest and most beautiful religious jewels" in Spanish America, and is an example of how the "land of goldsmiths" interpreted the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

. Further, it shows how this artistic style found new dimensions in a

territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

where gold and emeralds were abundant.

Jewels

The main frame is composed of of 18 carat gold, in addition to which La Lechuga also contains the following gemstones: * 1,485

emeralds Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr., and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991). ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, ...

from

Muzo Muzo () is a town and municipality in the Western Boyacá Province, part of the department of Boyacá, Colombia. It is widely known as the world capital of emeralds for the mines containing the world's highest quality gems of this type. Muzo ...

* 168

amethysts Amethyst is a Violet (color), violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek from - , "not" and (Ancient Greek) / (Modern Greek), "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from Alcohol into ...

from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

* 62

baroque pearls Baroque pearls are pearls with an irregular, non-spherical shape. Shapes can range from minor aberrations to distinctly ovoid, curved, pinched, or lumpy shapes. Most cultured freshwater pearls are baroque because freshwater pearls are mantle-tis ...

from

Curaçao Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela. Curaçao includ ...

* 28

diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of electricity, and insol ...

from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

* 13

rubies Ruby is a pinkish-red-to-blood-red-colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum (aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphi ...

from

Dutch Ceylon Dutch Ceylon (; ) was a governorate established in present-day Sri Lanka by the Dutch East India Company. Although the Dutch managed to capture most of the coastal areas in Sri Lanka, they were never able to control the Kingdom of Kandy locate ...

, today

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

* 1 yellow sapphire from

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Special exhibitions

La Lechuga left the country for the first time for a special exhibition in Spain's

Museo del Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of Art of Europe, European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th ce ...

between March 3 and May 31 of 2015. Between September 20, 2017 and January 15, 2018, La Lechuga was exhibited in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, alongside a statue of Saint Barbara by Pedro Laboria. La Lechuga was also temporarily displayed at the

National Museum of Ancient Art The Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (; MNAA), also known in English as the National Museum of Ancient Art, is a Portugal, Portuguese national art museum located in Lisbon. With over 40,000 items spanning a vast collection of painting, sculpture, gol ...

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

in late 2018.Quoted in Jaramillo Agudelo (2021), p. 22.

References

Bibliography

* Jaramillo Agudelo, Darío. (2021). ''One hundred treasures from the Museo de Arte Miguel Urrutia''. Bogotá: Banco de la República de Colombia. {{Colombian emeralds Monstrances Baroque sculptures Gold sculptures Votive offering 18th-century artifacts Christian art