GREGORIO FERNÁNDEZ (Sarria, Lugo, 1576 – Valladolid, 1636) "Immaculate Conception....
GREGORIO FERNÁNDEZ (Sarria, Lugo, 1576 – Valladolid, 1636)
"Immaculate Conception."
Polychrome wood
This exceptional carving is a masterpiece by the brilliant sculptor from Sarria, depicting one of his favorite themes, “The Immaculate Conception.” Its excellent craftsmanship and magnificent state of preservation make it a work worthy of a museum collection.
Our Immaculate Conception is an excellent version of the one Gregorio Fernández created in 1617 for the Convent of San Francisco in Valladolid. The success of this carving led to numerous commissions for the artist, as reflected in Fernández’s Immaculate Conceptions at Astorga Cathedral, the Church of La Vera Cruz in Salamanca, the Convent of Santa Clara, and the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales in Valladolid.
The Virgin is depicted in a frontal pose with a beautiful face, a cylindrical neck, and a rounded head. Small locks of hair fall across her forehead, as in other autograph Immaculate Conceptions by the artist. Her long, wavy hair is divided into two layers, maintaining its symmetry: the hair from her forehead falls over her shoulders, while the rest flows over her shoulders and down her back to just below her waist. She holds her hands together in a gesture of prayer. Her white tunic is cinched with a sash and is meticulously decorated with delicate, beautifully embroidered plant motifs. She wears a blue cloak adorned with seven-pointed golden stars, whose chromatic contrast blends in perfect harmony. Her tunic and cloak feature wide, ribbed, and broken folds that create indentations, especially in the lower third; those on the back of the cloak are gathered, as is customary, into a puffed panel that appears to be held in place by an invisible pin.
She wears a royal crown and is surrounded by a halo of sunbeams. The figure rests on a crescent moon that rises from a cluster of clouds supported by three delicate angels. The interior bears the following inscription: “TOTA PVLCHRA ES AMICA MEA / ET MACVLA NON EST IN TE” (cf. Song of Songs 4:7). The cubic base dates from the 17th century and is decorated with the anagram of Mary, as well as gilded moldings on its base and cornice, and plant motifs on the front panels.
This work can be dated to between 1620 and 1635 due to its close connection to other masterpieces by Sarria. Source: a study by Professor Jose Ángel Rivera de las Heras, which examines the work in depth.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Juan José Martín González, *El escultor Gregorio Fernández*, Madrid, 1980; Jesús Urrea, *Catalog of the Exhibition: Gregorio Fernández, 1576–1636*, Madrid, 1999.
Dimensions: 150 cm
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GREGORIO FERNÁNDEZ (Sarria, Lugo, 1576 – Valladolid, 1636)
"Immaculate Conception."
Polychrome wood
This exceptional carving is a masterpiece by the brilliant sculptor from Sarria, depicting one of his favorite themes, “The Immaculate Conception.” Its excellent craftsmanship and magnificent state of preservation make it a work worthy of a museum collection.
Our Immaculate Conception is an excellent version of the one Gregorio Fernández created in 1617 for the Convent of San Francisco in Valladolid. The success of this carving led to numerous commissions for the artist, as reflected in Fernández’s Immaculate Conceptions at Astorga Cathedral, the Church of La Vera Cruz in Salamanca, the Convent of Santa Clara, and the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales in Valladolid.
The Virgin is depicted in a frontal pose with a beautiful face, a cylindrical neck, and a rounded head. Small locks of hair fall across her forehead, as in other autograph Immaculate Conceptions by the artist. Her long, wavy hair is divided into two layers, maintaining its symmetry: the hair from her forehead falls over her shoulders, while the rest flows over her shoulders and down her back to just below her waist. She holds her hands together in a gesture of prayer. Her white tunic is cinched with a sash and is meticulously decorated with delicate, beautifully embroidered plant motifs. She wears a blue cloak adorned with seven-pointed golden stars, whose chromatic contrast blends in perfect harmony. Her tunic and cloak feature wide, ribbed, and broken folds that create indentations, especially in the lower third; those on the back of the cloak are gathered, as is customary, into a puffed panel that appears to be held in place by an invisible pin.
She wears a royal crown and is surrounded by a halo of sunbeams. The figure rests on a crescent moon that rises from a cluster of clouds supported by three delicate angels. The interior bears the following inscription: “TOTA PVLCHRA ES AMICA MEA / ET MACVLA NON EST IN TE” (cf. Song of Songs 4:7). The cubic base dates from the 17th century and is decorated with the anagram of Mary, as well as gilded moldings on its base and cornice, and plant motifs on the front panels.
This work can be dated to between 1620 and 1635 due to its close connection to other masterpieces by Sarria. Source: a study by Professor Jose Ángel Rivera de las Heras, which examines the work in depth.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Juan José Martín González, *El escultor Gregorio Fernández*, Madrid, 1980; Jesús Urrea, *Catalog of the Exhibition: Gregorio Fernández, 1576–1636*, Madrid, 1999.
Dimensions: 150 cm
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
