Andalusian School; c. 1700.

Andalusian School; c. 1700.
"Infant Jesus.
Carved and polychrome wood.
Measurements: 24.5 x 12 x 9 cm; 16 x 18 x 16 cm (base).
Baroque sculpture worked in round bulk representing the Infant Jesus. The figure has a tunic decorated with motifs that emulate sumptuous embroidery. His hair has been modeled in such a way that the hair is realistically framed around the oval of the face. Technically, the author has created a carving resolved in naturalistic language, a style ascribed to the baroque tradition of Spanish imagery, although of a certain singularity since the artist has chosen to represent the Child dressed.
Given the importance given to religious images in the Hispanic world, during the 17th and 18th centuries ambitious pictorial series and extensive iconographic programs were created for churches and convents, as well as printed prints, medals and reliquaries for private devotion. As a whole, regardless of their size or medium, these images fulfilled the objective of sacralizing everyday life beyond the altars. The theme of the Salvator Mundi, very frequent in Spanish art from the 17th century onwards, became one of the national signs of identity of Spain as a Catholic country.