Italian school; XVI century.

Italian school; XVI century.
"Madonna and Child".
Gilded bronze.
Wood and velvet back.
Measurements: 32 x 24 cm; 40,5 x 32 cm (frame).
In this relief of gilded bronze the author represents the Virgin with the Child in the center; she holds the scepter in the right hand and the Child the orb in the left. Above them, a pair of angels crowns Mary as Queen of Heaven. On both sides of the scene there are four other pairs of angels: some read the Holy Scriptures and others marvel at the coronation. The format of the work in the form of a pointed arch indicates that it was probably originally part of a larger ornamental ensemble, this being the main scene, since it shows the dogma of Mary as immaculate, which is indicated by the crescent moon on which the Virgin is leaning and by her coronation, which indicates the great relevance of her role in the Christian religion as opposed to the Protestant branch. Although it is true that this compositional tradition had its origins in the Italian Renaissance, continuing throughout the Cinquecento; both in painting, sculpture and reliefs either in marble, bronze or terracotta. It is a geometric composition, in the classical style of the Italian Renaissance, with grandiose and powerful figures, in which there is a concern for anatomy, with monumental bodies in relation to the head. The figures are represented with the beauty, proportions and sweetness typical of the Renaissance, the treatment of the folds of great delicacy with different depths to create pictorial shadows; abundant and wavy hair with movement.

Due to the dimensions of the piece, it is probable that it was conceived for private devotion. It is worked with the "schiacciato" technique, a sculptural relief modeling system used by the Romans and perfected in the 15th century by Donatello, which consists of proportionally reducing the bulk of the relief according to the depth to be represented. This sculptural technique makes it possible to create a bas-relief with a minimal variation (sometimes referred to as millimeters) with respect to the background. To give the viewer the illusion of depth, the gradual decrease in the depth of the thickness is complemented by the rigorous application of the laws of perspective, which enhances the visual effect.Mentioned iconography as the technique that the artist has combined in this piece, it is evident the quality of the relief not only in terms of virtuoso craftsmanship, but also conceptually as it becomes a unique testimony of sixteenth-century Italy. At the narrative level it is conveying the precepts debated during the Council of Trent, generated after the splitting of the Church. While on the technical level, the author conveys the consolidation of a new aesthetic far removed from the symbolism of previous eras.