"Bust of Our Lady of Sorrows". Anonymous from... Lot n° 32

"Bust of Our Lady of Sorrows". Anonymous from Granada. Late 17th century._x000D_ Polychromed wood and fabric. _x000D_ 27 x 20,5 x 13,5 cm. _x000D_ Total size with pedestal: 33,5 x 20,5 x 13,5 cm._x000D_ One of the great specialisms of 17th and 18th century sculpture in Granada was the production of busts of Ecce Homo and “Dolorosa” (Our Lady of Sorrows), either together or separately. The two most successful sculptors who cultivated both of these themes were Pedro de Mena (1628-1688) and José de Mora (1642-1724), although there was a legion of sculptors who copied and imitated them until the genre fell out of favour, and consequently reproductions of these busts can be found all over the length and breadth of Spain and Latin America. In general, these busts were placed within display cabinets closed with glass which were placed in private chapels where their owners would pray and meditate in front of them duting intimate moments of worship. This very close vision for the busts meant that their sculptors had to make them as lifelike as possible, leading them to use all the techniques at their disposal, including artificial elements such as eyelashes made of real hair, glass eyes, etc. When their owners died it was typical for these busts to be bequeathed to convents, monasteries and the churches where they had worshipped. _x000D_ This is a short bust in which the sculptor has captured the essential elements of “Dolorosa”, which are the head and torso as far as the thorax, without hands or arms, and with a bare suggestion of the shoulders. Just like Mena’s well-known model, the Virgin Mary is wearing a red tunic, a blue cloak and a white headdress which totally covers her hair. The whole of her clothing is furrowed by soft folds and modelled in glued fabric, a soft and malleable material with which very realistic effects are achieved and which also stands out for being cheaper and lighter. The polychromed wood is reserved for the face, in addition to the gilded base on which the bust rests. _x000D_ The example that we present should be placed within the stylistic heritage of Pedro de Mena, whose unequivocal physiognomy can be perceived in the face, meaning that the sculptor of this piece would have been a close follower or imitator of the master from Granada. These features include an oval head and a face of idealized features that transmits deep drama through the anguished eyes that plead directly towards the sky, the partly open mouth and the arched eyebrows, details that conjure a deep feeling of pain in response to the cruel ordeal to which her Son has been subjected. The eyes are false and made of glass to provide greater realism, to which the presence of natural hair eyelashes, now lost, would probably also have contributed. The mouth, with thin lips, is slightly open, so that part of the tip of the tongue and the teeth can be seen. _x000D_ The quality of the piece is such that the anonymous sculptor has skilfully recreated the softness of the flesh to perfection, which is especially perceptible in the softness of the cheeks, on which perhaps there used to be some tears carved in glass or resin. For all these reasons, this delicate bust, datable to the end of the 17th century, was surely the work of a skilled master from Granada who was inspired by Mena's work._x000D_ We would like to thank Javier Baladrón, doctor in History of Art, for cataloguing this piece;