Sevillian school; beginning of the XVIII century.

Sevillian school; early eighteenth century.
"Immaculate Conception".
Carved and polychrome wood. Vitreous paste eyes.
Presents restorations.
Measurements: 64 x 32 x 34 cm.
The carving shows Mary dressed in gold, blue and red, with one of her hands on her chest and the other extended, while she rests her feet on a cloud adorned, as usual, with cherub heads. The movement of the Virgin's mantle reflects the patterns of the eighteenth century aesthetics and the mastery of the author, which achieves a movement and a great fluidity in the carving of the piece. Stylistically, the relationship of this work with the Sevillian school is clear, since in it we can appreciate a great movement and dynamism that is established diagonally around the body of the Virgin.
Within this panorama, the leading role played by the Andalusian school of sculpture is evident. During this period, a series of masters of unquestionable value developed sculpture that knew how to combine in their works the extraordinary technical quality and religious depth, in accordance with the atmosphere of their time, fully connected with the tastes of the clientele, more interested in the work of religious themes than in the commissions of a profane nature, thus marking a substantial difference with respect to the production of other European countries. Another differentiating aspect, although common with other national centers, is the material with which the works are made; the Andalusian sculpture is made of polychrome wood, a task of capital importance, since the final result of the work depends largely on it. The process had to be carried out by examined masters, and it could happen that the sculptor himself was also the painter. On the other hand, it is also worth mentioning that the economic development and the strength that Seville experienced after the Discovery, having become the gateway and port of the Indies, was quickly reflected in art; from the first decades of the century, masters of different origins began to constantly come to the city in search of the American market and the potential Sevillian clientele, increasingly attracted by the new artistic forms arriving from Italy. Italian, French and Flemish masters, with varying degrees of knowledge of the new aesthetics, alternate with artists from Castilian lands, who have also come into contact with the prevailing artistic currents in the Italian peninsula, thus becoming the most sought after in the art market. The teachings of all of them, together with the classical substratum inherent to the Andalusian culture itself, will constitute the foundations on which the Andalusian sculptural school will be built.