Spanish School From The End Of The 17th Century - Beginning Of The 18th Century. "virgin And Child".

Spanish school from the late 17th century - early 18th century. "Virgin and Child". Carved and polychrome wood.
Devotional image in carved wood in the round and polychrome, framed in the late Spanish Baroque. It is a sculpture of monumental conception, with large and monolithic figures, whose volumes are highlighted by the ample folds of Mary's tunic. The Virgin appears standing, holding the Child on her knees, in a naturalistic position, full of movement. Thus, we see how Mary, to compensate for the weight of the Child, leans back, while Jesus in turn leans forward, thus compensating the composition. The Child appears raising his right hand in blessing, while the other hand rests on a sphere, symbol of the universality of Christian doctrine and the redemptive act of Christ. Spanish Baroque sculpture is one of the most authentic and personal examples of our art, since its conception and form of expression were born from the people and the deepest feelings that inhabited them. With the state economy in ruins, the nobility in decline and the high clergy burdened with heavy taxes, it was the monasteries, parishes and brotherhoods of clergy and laity that favored its development, the works sometimes being financed by popular subscription. Sculpture was therefore forced to express the ideals that prevailed in these environments, which were none other than religious, at a time when the counter-reformist doctrine demanded from art a realistic language so that the faithful could understand and identify with what was represented, and an expression with an intense emotional content to increase the fervor and devotion of the people. The religious subject is therefore the favorite theme of Spanish sculpture of this period, which begins in the first decades of the century with a priority interest in capturing nature, to gradually intensify throughout the century in the incarnation of expressive values, which is achieved through movement and variety of gestures, the use of the resources of light and the representation of states of mind and feelings. -
Dimensions: 32x26x70 cms