"Blessing Christ Child". Anonymous from Seville.... Lot n° 29

"Blessing Christ Child". Anonymous from Seville. First third of the 17th century._x000D_ Polychromed lead sculpture._x000D_ 62 x 26 x 24 cm _x000D_ _x000D_ The sculptural representation of the Christ Child enjoyed a great boost in 13th and 14th century Germany, especially in monasteries, where nuns cared for them as if they were real children. During the Renaissance and especially during the Baroque period, this type of sculpture of the Infant reached the height of popularity in Spain due to the fervour which the Council of Trent awoke with regard to the subject of Christ’s childhood. These Christs were made mostly for chapels and private residences and for convents, where the nuns treated them as if they were their children, making their clothes and hanging all sorts of jewels on them. On occasions the affection that these religious women had towards their “artificial sons” reached such a level that they referred to them as their “boyfriend” or “husband”. _x000D_ This small Christ Child is an almost literal copy of the Christ Child (1606) made by Juan Martínez Montañés (1568-1649), who in turn seems to have been inspired by engravings by Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) and Martín de Vos (1532-1603). This Montañés model which was continued by his disciple Juan de Mesa (1583-1627), and by many other Sevillian and Andalusian sculptors (los Ribas, Alonso Cano (1601-1667), etc., was enormously successful, leading to mass production both in wood as well as in metal, especially in pewter, so that we can find countless copies throughout Spain and Latin America. _x000D_ This Christ Child, made of polychromed lead, rests his feet on a type of gilded cushion which ends in a square, classicist structure decorated with pairs of scrolls on each of the sides. The anatomy is completely naked and striking in the way it has been stylised – especially the trunk and the arms – so that it appears to have a certain microcephaly. The legs are held open, making a slight counterpose with the left leg. The anatomy is correct, but does not make much of the details. Only the joints, naval and pudendum are carefully worked. The arms are held separately from the torso, at the same height. He blesses with his right hand while in the left he could have held some kind of element – Montañés’ original Christ Child first had a cross and later, in 1629, the artist Pablo Legot changed his hands for others made of lead to then hold a chalice in order to echo the Eucharistic allegory –. The head has a serious countenance and watches the faithful head on. It is outstanding for its large, glassy, almond-shaped eyes, arched eyebrows, small nose with a straight septum and nostrils that are pierced into the metal to make them more lifelike, as well as the small closed mouth with fine lips, chubby cheeks and strong chin. The hair is prominent and worked with great meticulousness with a trepan, highlighting the central tuft which is a typical characteristic of the Christs by Montañes and, therefore, all their copies. On the sides the hair encircles the ears without covering them. In the upper part some incisions can be seen which indicate that at one time the Child had potencies. It is in an excellent state of preservation. _x000D_ We would like to thank Javier Baladrón, doctor in History of Art, for cataloguing this piece.