Andalusian School; End of the 17th century. "Christ... Lot 22

Andalusian School; End of the 17th century. "Christ Salvator Mundi". Oil on canvas. Preserves original canvas. It has a 19th century frame. Measurements: 105 x 84 cm; 128 x 113 cm (frame). This oil painting, framed within the Spanish school, shows Christ as "Salvator Mundi", an iconography that represents the Christological concept of Jesus Christ as universal saviour, in relation to his role as judge in the Final Judgement and his character of Redeemer. It is characterised by Christ raising his right hand in blessing, while holding an orb symbolising the universe in his left hand, emphasising the universal nature of Christian doctrine and Christ's redemptive act. As we can see here, it is most common in this iconography for Christ to appear half-length in a strictly frontal position. The Spanish Baroque is one of the most authentic and personal examples of our art, because its conception and form of expression arose from the people and their deepest feelings. With the economy of the state in ruins, the nobility in decline and the high clergy burdened with heavy taxes, it was the monasteries, parishes and confraternities of clerics and laymen who promoted its development, and the works were sometimes financed by popular subscription. The arts were thus obliged to express the prevailing ideals in these environments, which were none other than religious ideals, at a time when Counter-Reformation doctrine demanded that art should use realistic language so that the faithful could understand and identify with what was represented, and an expression endowed with an intense emotional content to increase the fervour and devotion of the people. Religious themes were therefore the main subject matter of Spanish painting and sculpture of this period, which in the early decades of the 17th century focused on capturing the natural world and gradually intensified throughout the century on expressive values through movement and a variety of gestures, the use of light resources and the depiction of moods and feelings.