References to the significant role of the artist Joaquim José Nativity - in the County of Rio das Mortes between the second half of the eighteenth century and the first decades of the nineteenth century - allowed the reflection on the possible relationships between the processes of construction and decoration of chapels and churches with the distinction of representantions and hierarchy(s) between dwellers. To provide resources for the ornamentation of the temples, the funders of the work - Landowners and slaves related to production and marketing of foodstuffs - expected that the artistic quality was compatible with raised values. Thus, the prestige and fortune for the artist to the contractor factors were relevant to the examination of a portion of the works attributed to the artist, because they carry the meaning of social privilege expressed in artistic and social processes involved in their implementation.