Juan de Anchieta Circle

Circle of JUAN DE ANCHIETA (Azpeitia, Guipúzcoa, c. 1540 - Pamplona, 1588).
"Virgin and Child.
Carved wood, gilded and polychrome.
It has a silver crown.
Measurements: 66 x 28 x 22 cm.
The figure represents the image of a young woman with long hair, symbolizing her virgin condition, covered by the golden mantle. The clothes give it volume not without a certain movement that is generated through the folds of the fabrics. The back of the sculpture is barely worked, indicating that it is a sculpture designed to be seen only from the front and probably as part of a larger sculptural group, as was common at the time. Aesthetically, the work shows a great delicacy in the carving of the facial features, which indicates the knowledge of the artist.
Due to its style, this work can be attributed to Juan de Anchieta, a baroque sculptor belonging to the Romanist School, a current of Spanish mannerism that shows a marked influence of the Italian authors who worked in Rome, especially Raphael and Michelangelo. The Romanist style is especially characterized by its monumentality and powerful anatomies, features that are clearly seen in this carving. In fact, Juan de Ancheta was probably trained in Italy, given that his style reveals influences from Italian masters, although there is no documentation to support this trip. By 1565 Ancheta was in Valladolid, but shortly thereafter he was in Briviesca, presumably collaborating with Gaspar Becerra on an altarpiece for the church of the convent of Santa Clara. In fact, Ancheta's style shows the influence of Becerra's mannerism, enriched with the classicism of contemporary Roman sculpture. It is believed that the sculptor returned to work with Becerra around 1558, on an altarpiece.