SAINT JOSEPH WITH JESUS. POLYCHROMED WOOD, GLASS. SPANISH SCHOOL, 19TH CENTURY.

Saint Joseph. Polychrome wood, glass. Spanish school, 19th century. Sculpture made of polychrome wood consisting of a base with very classic lines and appearance (smooth mouldings, resembling marble...) on which is a bearded male figure, dressed in sandals, a blue tunic and a cloak draped over one shoulder. The right hand is in the gesture of holding an element that is no longer there, and in the left hand is the Child Jesus, half-naked on a white cloth and with another covering him, raising his hand to touch the beard of Saint Joseph. Note the open mouths, revealing the teeth of both figures, and the presence of false eyes (glass eyes). The rise of the importance of Saint Joseph in Christianity was marked by the introduction of the saint's feast in the liturgy of the Catholic Church (1476), several notable writings, guidelines from the Council of Trent (exalting him as protector and guide of Jesus), etc. In Spain, it is also worth highlighting the work of Saint Teresa of Jesus, founder of the religious branch of the Discalced Carmelites, and that of Saint Peter of Alcántara, reformer of the Franciscan order, among others. One of the most common ways in which Saint Joseph is represented with the Child is the latter in the arms of the former, with works such as the carving by Andrés de Ocampo for the altarpiece of the convent church of Santa Marta in Córdoba (Sleeping Jesus) between 1592 and 1596. This iconography, although not as widespread as that of Saint Joseph walking beside Christ, has early examples in painting and sculpture, already seeing affectionate gestures in examples such as the painting by Vicente Carducho (1632, Narbonne Museum), that of Juan del Castillo from around 1622 for one side of the altarpiece of the Nativity in the convent church of the Holy Spirit in Seville, etc. Throughout the 17th century, representations of the Father with his Son in his arms would increase, also increasing the gestures of affection and the sweetness of the images. Compare this sculpture, noting the differences, with that of Alonso Cano in the Museum of Fine Arts in Granada (Spain) or that of Pedro Duque Cornejo for the Church of San Bautista in Écija. From the 18th century are that of Andrés de Carvajal for the sanctuary of Los Remedios in Antequera (Spain; dated 1760), that of Luis Salvador Carmona found in the church of San José in Madrid, or the sculpture attributed to Juan Pascual de Mena in the Church of San Marcos in Madrid, to mention a few examples. The 19th century, as a general rule, followed neoclassical models, accentuating the emotional relationship between the two figures. Weight: 57 kg

· Size: 57x57x155 cms.