Circle of Juan Anchieta; second third of the XVI century.

Circle of JUAN ANCHIETA (Azpeitia, Guipúzcoa, c. 1540 - Pamplona, 1588); second third of the 16th century.
"Virgin and Child".
Carved and polychrome wood.
It shows wear, slight flaws and damage caused by xylophagous.
Measurements: 59 x 22 x 17 cm.
The figure represents the image of the Virgin with the Nile in her arms. Mary is portrayed as a woman of rotund forms and round face framed in long hair by the golden mantle, symbolizing her condition of covered virgin. The clothes give her volume, not without a certain movement that is generated through the folds of the fabrics, especially visible in the fold that the Virgin holds in her left hand. Leaning on her right arm we see her son, who has been represented in an innocent way with a dynamic and childlike posture, despite the fact that the Child holds the orb in one of his hands while with the other he blesses the spectator. 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.
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.