Spanish school; 17th century.

Spanish school; XVII century,
"Christ tied to the column".
Carved wood.
Measurements: 55 x 27 x 28 cm.
In this sculpture made in round bulk is represented the image of Christ on the column, also called Christ tied to the column is. It is an evangelical scene and a very frequent iconographic theme in Christian art, within the cycle of the Passion. The scene takes place in the Praetorium of Jerusalem, the center of Roman power, directed by Pontius Pilate, where Jesus Christ arrived for the second and last time, after passing through different instances (Annas, Caiaphas and Herod). In this biblical episode Christ is exhibited before the one who preferred to free Barabbas rather than him. He is stripped of his clothes and tied to a column, where he is subjected to mockery and torture, among them, the scourging and the crowning with thorns, iconographic denominations that sometimes are totally identifiable with this one and sometimes they are differentiated with precision. In this sculpture in particular the crown of thorns is not appreciated, but it is possible to appreciate the ravages caused in the body of Christ by the flagellation. The sculptor shows an image in which Christ is depressed, inclined due to his own weight, however, the rest does not show this great tension, but outlines a gesture of concentration and sorrow rather than pain. The work follows the aesthetic models of the famous sculpture "The Lord tied to the column" is one of the most famous sculptures of Gregorio Fernandez, who made it for the Penitential Brotherhood of the Santa Vera Cruz of Valladolid, in 1619.
Gregorio 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 which 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, which was made for numerous Castilian temples and brotherhoods. He was a very representative artist of his time, of the dramatic spirituality of 17th century Spain, reflected in processional pasos of great pathos that were his favorite theme, given that they represented scenes of the Passion and allowed precisely 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, as opposed to the Andalusian school of Martínez Montañés, more classicist and harmonious. On the other hand, Fernández was a son of the counter-reformist culture of Philip II and, therefore, he sought a religious image as didactic as possible, far 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 and 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 when carrying out his works.