Spanish school; 17th century.

Spanish school; second quarter of the 17th century.
"Virgin of silence".
Oil on canvas. Re-drawn.
It presents faults and restorations.
Measurements: 106 x 81 cm; 117 x 94 cm (frame).
The iconographic theme is the contemplation of the child who is sleeping while his mother, the Virgin, adores him. It is the combination of the concepts of mother and son in a natural and tender attitude, as well as the mother of God observing the divine and transcendental character of her son. The painter offers us a scene with a very long tradition in the Christian West, worked with subtle gradations of half-tones. Since the end of the Middle Ages artists have insisted on depicting, in an increasingly intense manner, the bond of affection that united Christ with his Mother and the close relationship between them, and this was encouraged in the Renaissance and, naturally, in the Baroque period, when the exacerbation of emotions characterised a large part of artistic production. This characteristic became increasingly common over the centuries.