229 - Painted wooden processional statue of the Virgin and Child; the arms are articulated. Lace garments, thick embroidered cloak, embroidered with gold thread and set with gemstones. Spain, early 19th century. Height: 100 cm. Missing parts (the Child’s finger) and restorations.

Painted wooden processional statue of the Virgin and Child; the arms are articulated. Lace garments, thick embroidered cloak, embroidered with gold thread and set with gemstones. Spain, early 19th century. Height: 100 cm. Missing parts (the Child’s finger) and restorations. Virgin known as a “Capipote” A capipote (or procession figure) is an articulated religious statue designed to be dressed in real clothing and adorned with jewelry during ceremonies or liturgical festivals. The term comes from the Catalan “cap i pota,” which literally means “head and foot.” It accurately describes the structure of these works: only the visible parts of the body (head, hands, feet, and sometimes the forearms) are finely carved, painted in polychrome, or fitted with glass eyes. Structure: The body is often reduced to a simple bust or a rigid mannequin (made of raw wood or resin) intended to be covered with a dress or fabric costumes. The arms and sometimes the legs are often articulated (using rods or pivots) so that the statue can be positioned in different postures during processions. Very common in Italy (particularly in Naples) as well as in Spain and southern France from the 17th to the 19th century, these figures depicted Christ, the Virgin Mary, or saints.