Explore the Description of this artwork.
The painting is in oil on canvas. It measures 233 centimetres (92 in) high and 133 centimetres (52 in) wide.
Quitéria is depicted in the painting in military clothing holding a musket. The uniform is typical of the Batalhão dos Periquitos, which got its nickname due to the yellow color on the cuffs and collar of their blue uniform. The background is an idealized landscape of the Bahian Recôncavo, the interior of Bahia immediately near its state capital of Salvador. The Bahian Recôncavo was the stage fighting in which Quitéria participated. The Paraguaçu River is depicted flowing towards the horizon; it connects the interior city of Cachoeira, the scene of the independence movement, to the Bay of All Saints at Salvador.Maria Quitéria wears the insignia of Knight of the Imperial Order of Cruzeiro on her left breast, a distinction offered by Dom Pedro I to prominent figures in the fight for the Independence of Brazil. The insignia of the Imperial Order is formed by a white star with five forked and maçanetada points; the portrait incorrectly depicts it as a four-pointed star.
Imperial Order of Cruzeiro Paraguaçu River Independence of Brazil Bahian Recôncavo Salvador Dom Pedro I Bay of All Saints Maria Quitéria