Circle of GREGORIO FERNÁNDEZ (Lugo, 1576 - Valladolid,... Lot 44

Circle of GREGORIO FERNÁNDEZ (Lugo, 1576 - Valladolid, 1636). "Immaculate Conception". Carved and polychrome wood. It presents damages caused by the passage of time. Measurements: 95 x 45 x 22 cm. The Virgin stands on a pedestal, resting her feet on a cloud dominated by the presence of the fourth moon and three cherub heads as usual in the iconographic representation of the Immaculate Conception. The artist presents us with a monumental and stylised carving, especially the face, which stands out for its long neck and slender features that contrast with the large volume of the cloak. The piece stands out for the detail of the features of the face and the hair that falls over the cloak. Aesthetically the work is close to the style of Gregorio Fernández, and in fact it is notably close to sculptures of the same theme by the master, such as the Immaculate Conception in the cathedral of Santa María de la Redonda, Logroño.Fernández was the greatest exponent of the Castilian school of the early Baroque, heir to the expressiveness of Alonso Berruguete and Juan de Juni and permeable to the classicist influences of Pompey Leoni and Juan de Arfe, on whom he would rely to leave behind the Mannerism of his training to become a fully Baroque sculptor. Although we know little biographical information about the master, his work is well documented, as it was executed for numerous churches and brotherhoods in Castile. He was an artist who was highly representative of his time, of the dramatic spirituality of 17th century Spain, reflected in his highly pathetic processional pasos, which were his favourite subject, given that they depicted scenes from the Passion and allowed this harsh drama to be reflected. He was a unique artist, always maintaining his individuality, and in fact he defined one of the great sculptural schools of the Spanish Baroque, in contrast to the Andalusian school of Martínez Montañés, who was more classicist and harmonious. Fernández, on the other hand, was a child of the counter-reformist culture of Philip II and therefore sought a religious image that was as didactic as possible, far removed from the purely aesthetic approaches that moved the Sevillian master. Gregorio Fernández had a large workshop that took on contracts mainly from Valladolid, León and Madrid, but also from the Basque Country and Extremadura, where numerous sculptors were trained and a veritable school of followers was created. According to Palomino in the 18th century, Fernández was a pious man, even close to sainthood, who before starting work prostrated himself in deep prayer, fasted, did penance and maintained a constant dialogue with God, a life in keeping with the profound mysticism that dominated Spanish religiosity in the 17th century, and which speaks of a feeling of commitment to faith in the execution of his works.