Indo-Portuguese school, ca.1600. Lot n° 12

Indo-Portuguese school, ca.1600. "Virgin and Child. Carved ivory. Rear pedestal. Measurements: 12 cm high figure; 7.5 cm high pedestal. Carved ivory sculpture. The characteristic way of carving the hair of the Indo-Portuguese school can be seen, consisting of making curls with symmetrical incisions marking the direction of the hair. Also typical of this school are the straight nose and the closed mouth with barely marked lips, as well as the almond-shaped eyes, which are clearly oriental. The trade routes linking Europe, America and the Indies brought various oriental products to the Iberian Peninsula, most of which were considered luxury items, including pieces made of ivory. Royal families, nobility and people of high social standing all desired exotic objects for their collections, and ivory carvings were among the most prized, both for the value and exoticism of the material itself and for the quality of the workmanship. These carvings also had a dual function. Firstly, they were precious and decorative objects, but they also had a didactic and evangelistic purpose, as carvings were made with Christian themes and iconography, using decorative motifs, elements and techniques typical of the Far East. Generally speaking, the missionaries commissioned local artists to make them, showing them European models to imitate. These types of pieces, intended for Portuguese clients, were made especially in Goa (India), which was also an important centre of furniture manufacture. The artists in that area had a long tradition of ivory sculpture, so the result was a synthesis of the local aesthetic heritage (emphasis on the textures of clothing and objects, the importance of animalistic representation, etc.), with Western iconography and taste.