1163 - Gregorio Fernández (Sarria, Lugo, 1576–Valladolid, 1636). Star Lot. "Immaculate"

Gregorio Fernández (Sarria, Lugo, 1576–Valladolid, 1636). Star Lot. "Immaculate" A report by Don Ángel Rivera de las Heras is attached. Doctor of Art History. Dimensions: 152 x 90 x 52 cm without base; dimensions with base: 215 x 90 x 60 cm. The figure is an exact replica of the model created by the Galician sculptor Gregorio Fernández in 1617 for the Convent of San Francisco in Valladolid, and which was reproduced repeatedly—even during the master’s lifetime—by his disciples and imitators. The Virgin stands in a frontal, static pose—almost hieratic—with her left foot forward. She has a youthful face, with a cylindrical neck and a rounded head. Small locks of hair are arranged on her forehead, as in other authentic works attributed to him. Her long, wavy hair is divided into two sections, maintaining her symmetry: the front section falls to her shoulders, while the rest flows down her shoulders and along her back to below her waist. She holds her hands clasped together in a prayerful gesture. She wears a white tunic, cinched at the waist with a headband, decorated with botanical motifs using the stew technique, and accented with borders on the cut-out, cuffs, and hem. She covers herself with a blue cloak, edged with an openwork pattern formed by vegetal scrolls applied with a brush tip, studded with seven-pointed golden stars. Her tunic and cloak feature wide, ridged, and broken folds, creating indentations, especially in the lower third; those on the back of the cloak are gathered, as is customary, into a puff that appears to be fastened by an invisible pin. The figure sits on a crescent moon and a cluster of clouds, flanked by a group of three winged angels, who, like the Virgin, have glassy eyes—a feature that appears to be a later addition. She is surrounded by a halo with golden, straight, and flaming rays, bearing the following inscription: “TOTA PVLCHRA ES AMICA MEA / ET MACVLA NON EST IN TE” (cf. Song of Songs 4:7). The cubic base dates from the 17th century and is ...