Mannerist school; Italy, circa 1600.

Mannerist school; Italy, circa 1600.
"Salvator Mundi."
Pavilion-finished bronze.
Measurements: 68 x 29.5 x 19 cm.
A sculpture in the round depicting Christ as “Salvator Mundi,” an iconographic representation of the Christological concept of Jesus Christ as the universal savior, in relation to his role as judge in the Last Judgment and his nature as Redeemer. It is characterized by depicting Christ raising his right hand in a gesture of blessing, while holding a globe in his left hand (in this particular piece, the globe is no longer preserved). In this case, we are looking at a sculpture executed in a naturalistic style, a style associated with the Italian Baroque tradition.
Baroque sculpture is one of the most authentic and personal examples of our art, because its conception and form of expression arose from the people and the deepest sentiments that lay within them. With the state’s economy in shambles, the nobility in decline, and the high clergy burdened by heavy taxes, it was the monasteries, parishes, and brotherhoods of clergy and laity that drove its development, with the works sometimes funded through public subscription. Sculpture was thus called upon to embody the prevailing ideals in these circles—which were none other than religious ones—at a time when Counter-Reformation doctrine demanded that art employ a realistic language so that the faithful could understand and identify with what was depicted, and an expression imbued with intense emotional content to heighten the people’s fervor and devotion. The religious subject is, therefore, the predominant theme of Spanish sculpture from this period, which began in the early decades of the century with a primary focus on capturing naturalism, and progressively intensified over the course of the century the depiction of expressive values—achieved through movement and a variety of gestures, the use of lighting effects, and the representation of moods and feelings.