Spanish school; 18th century.

Spanish School; XVIII century.
"Saint Joseph of Nazareth".
Carved, gilded and polychrome wood. With original sgraffito and sgraffito.
It presents slight losses and faults due to the passage of time.
Measurements: 30,50 x 11 x 6,5 cm.
Sculpture of half bulk or chop on a base gilded with fine gold, which places the image of St. Joseph, bearded, and erect, holding in his hands the flowered rod, the main attribute of this Saint. Stylistically the piece stands out for the softness of the forms in spite of the marked folds. Saint Joseph is presented as a monumental character, typically baroque, an impression that is reinforced by the pyramidal composition. Through this form of representation, the author visually enhances the decisive role as protector of the putative father of Jesus.
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 the deepest feelings that nestled in it. With the economy of the State broken, the nobility in decline and the high clergy burdened with heavy taxes, it was the monasteries, the parishes and the confraternities of clerics and laymen who promoted its development, the works sometimes being financed by popular subscription. Sculpture was thus compelled to embody the prevailing ideals in these environments, which were none other than religious ones, at a time when the counter-reformist doctrine demanded from art a realistic language so that the faithful would understand and identify with what was represented, and an expression endowed with an intense emotional content to increase the fervor and devotion of the people. The religious subject is, therefore, the preferred theme of Spanish sculpture of this period, which in the first decades of the century began with a priority interest in capturing the natural, to progressively intensify throughout the century the expression of expressive values, which is achieved through the movement and variety of gestures, the use of light resources and the representation of moods and feelings.