Spanish school; late eighteenth century."Our Lady of Mercy as patron saint of Barcelona".Oil on canvas. Relined.Presents Spanish frame, ca. 1850.Measurements: 52 x 40 cm; 84 x 54 cm (frame).Oval format work in which a religious theme is presented from a theatrical perspective. For this requirement the author has arranged some red curtains on the sides that allow to see the scene as if it were a representation on a stage. In the center of the scene can be seen the Marian figure of the Virgin of Mercy, defined by a series of attributes such as the scapular. The Virgin of Mercy is the patron saint of captives, not only physical captives, but also spiritual captives, and of all those who have been marginalized by society. Her devotion has its origin in Catalonia. The Order of Mercy was founded around her, initiated by Saint Peter Nolasco at the beginning of the 13th century. It was precisely the Mercedarian monks who spread her cult throughout Spain, France and Italy from that date onwards. The iconography for the representations of the Virgin of Mercy acquires its definitive form in the 16th century, which in the Baroque period drifts towards more dynamic representations, with breaks of glory.