Have you visited the Museo de Antioquia? What’s your favorite piece of art? 🎨👇

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Manuela Sáenz de Vergara y Aizpuru was an Ecuadorian revolutionary heroine of South America and a protestor for women's rights. Manuela received the "Caballeresa del Sol" (Order of the Sun) honoring her services in the 1800s revolution against the Spanish; however, after the Ecuadorian president declared her a "women who most promote the spirit of anarchy," she died in exile in northern Peru and was buried in a common grave. In 1797, Manuela was born in Quito as the illegitimate child of a Creole and a Spaniard: Maria Joaquina Aizpuru from Ecuador and the married Simón Sáenz de Vergara y Yedra from Spain. Her mother was abandoned by her modest family as a result of the pregnancy and her father paid for young "Manuelita" to go to convents where she learned to read and write. In 1817, her father made an arrangement for Sáenz to marry a wealthy English doctor and Manuela became a socialite in Lima, Peru. This provided the setting for involvement in political and military affairs, and she became active in support of revolutionary efforts. Leaving her husband in 1822, she soon began an eight-year collaboration and intimate relationship with revolutionary leader Simón Bolívar (aka El Libertador) that lasted until his death in 1830. After she prevented an 1828 assassination attempt against him and facilitated his escape, Bolívar began to call her "Libertadora del libertador" ("liberator of the liberator"). Manuela's role in the revolution after her death was generally overlooked until the late twentieth century, but now she is recognized as a feminist symbol of the 19th century wars of independence. She appears here as a young, yet confident woman of status and class. Her beauty is our focus with her dark hair styled away from her perfect face in an elaborate updo with curls and decorative flowers. She wears gorgeous matching drop earrings and necklace. Her dark-colored gown with rounded neckline has sheen that captures the texture of the finely-made dress.

Retrato de Manuela Sáenz by José María Espinosa Prieto (Colombian) - Miniature / 1828 - Museo de Antioquia (Medellin, Colombia) #womeninart #art #portrait #painting #womensart #fineart #colombianartist #MuseodeAntioquia #portraitofawoman #manuelasaenz #heroine #feminist #herstory #womensrights