Attributed to Francisco Salzillo

Attributed to FRANCISCO SALZILLO (Murcia, 1707- 1783)
"Infant Jesus with attributes of the Passion".
Polychrome terracotta.
It has vitreous paste eyes.
Measurements: 38 x 33 x 25 cm.
Image worked in polychrome terracotta, of great technical quality, delicately polychromed with great naturalism. It represents the Child Jesus on his knees with his face raised towards the sky, the palms of his hands facing upwards, both placed on his knees. As for the face, the half-open mouth and the eyes that shift their gaze towards the sky add to the attitude of prayer of the sculpture, which creates a great impact on the spectator by confronting the idea of the innocence of a child with the vision of Jesus as the saviour of humanity. With regard to the technique, the quality of the work on the face is particularly noteworthy, as it is highly emotive, delicate, tender and at the same time suffering. It is an iconography that combines divine power and grace with the happy innocence and humble condition of God incarnate. A relevant aspect is the polychromy, as it shows a taste for realism that adds dynamism to the scene and gives greater depth to the message by showing us an Infant Jesus with the traces of the crown of thorns.
Aesthetically, the piece is very reminiscent of the sculpture of the Infant Jesus by Salzillo, which is in the Diocesan Museum of Ciudad Real. The Murcian school of sculpture was born in the 18th century, driven by the economic growth of the region, around the figure of Francisco Salzillo, gathering Mediterranean and especially Italian influences through the art of the Nativity Scene, which was introduced and developed in Spain in this century. Through the Murcian school, the novelties of European Rococo were introduced into Spain, which were incorporated by Murcian masters such as Salzillo into the popular sentiment typical of Spanish imagery.
Spanish Baroque sculpture 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. Stylistically, in the first decades of the century it began with a priority interest in capturing the natural world, gradually intensifying over the course of the century in the depiction of expressive values, which it achieved through movement and the variety of gestures, the use of light resources and the representation of moods and feelings.