Spanish school, ca. 1600

Spanish school, ca. 1600.
"The Virgin and Child surrounded by angels".
Oil on panel (three boards with reinforcements). Restored.
Measurements: 108 x 85 cm; 129 x 103 cm (frame).

In this work of Spanish school the moment immediately after the coronation of the Virgin is represented. In this way, Mary, already crowned, still holds her son in her arms while the angels in charge of crowning her delicately hold her precious mantle adorned with brocades. Cherubic heads emanate from the heavenly plane flanking the dove of the Holy Spirit. The monumentality of the figures and the luminosity of the scene allow us to frame it within the Spanish production of the 16th century, when the aesthetics of the Flemish painters from the Netherlands converged with the Italian art that arrived in the peninsula. Thus, the descriptive and detailed sense of the Flemish primitives is maintained, especially noticeable in the careful treatment of the canvases and in the rigorous drawing, although the space is emphasized based on empirical knowledge and not on perspective studies. The intense red dress of the Virgin stands out boldly, symbolizing the blood of martyrdom and the strength of the Holy Spirit.

The theme of the coronation of the Virgin was recounted in the second century by St. Meliton, bishop of Sardis and later disseminated by Gregory of Tours, and James of Voragine, who collected it in his famous legend Aurea. The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin is also a subject of devotion throughout Christianity. Beyond art, the Coronation is a central motif in Marian Processions around the world.