Spanish school, 19th century

Spanish school, 19th century.
"Immaculate".
Oil on mother-of-pearl shell.
Signed: Pila.
Presents losses of polychrome.
Measurements: 29 x 24 x 2 cm.

Painting where the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception is represented.
The Immaculate, characterized as an adolescent, beautiful and virginal, steps on the crescent moon as it rises to the heavens surrounded by cherubs in foreshortening. The figures are integrated in the vaporous atmosphere, between luminous refulgences. The theme of the Conception is combined with that of the Assumption, alluding to the Glory of Mary. This same model, but with variations, was applied by Murillo in a variety of Marian paintings, which would enjoy great popularity, influencing Spanish painters of the Baroque and later periods. When Murillo established his model of the Immaculate Conception, the devotion to the Virgin was experiencing a great boom in Spain. Thus, the theme of the Immaculate Conception came to constitute one of the national identity signs of Spain as a Catholic country. It is one of the most genuinely local themes of Spanish Baroque painting, since our country was the main defender of this mystery, and the one that fought most insistently to make it a dogma of faith. In this context, numerous artists and intellectuals worked to build a clear iconography that would help to spread the Immaculate Conception, bringing together symbolism and popular fervor.
This type of shell painting was used for decoration, especially in the 20th century, inside showcases or in a display case, and was considered exotic and original. They often allowed the support to be seen, giving rise to the typical sparkles produced by mother-of-pearl.