Spanish school; 17th century. "Apparition of the... Lot 29

Spanish school; 17th century. "Apparition of the Immaculate Conception. Oil on canvas. Re-drawn. Measurements: 204 x 161 cm. In this interior scene the artist presents us a religious accompanied by an altar boy who places the sacred book on a lectern. The posture of both indicates that they are preparing the mass, both in front of the altar with the chalice covered in the centre and the young man placing the sacred passage that the religious is supervising. In the background, however, the figure of the Immaculate Conception is shown. This presence is not noticed by the figures in the foreground, so it could be a representation of the Virgin herself as part of the ornamentation of the church. However, the veracity of the break of glory in which Mary's figure is enveloped suggests that it is an apparition. Spanish Baroque painting 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 clergy heavily taxed, it was the monasteries, parishes and confraternities of clerics and laymen who encouraged its development, with the works sometimes being financed by popular subscription. Painting was thus obliged to express the prevailing ideals in these environments, which were none other than religious ones, at a time when Counter-Reformation doctrine demanded a realistic language from art so that the faithful could understand and identify with what was depicted, 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 sculpture during this period, which in the early decades of the century was based on a priority interest in capturing the natural world, gradually intensifying over the course of the century in the depiction of expressive values.