Circle of José Risueño

Circle of JOSÉ RISUEÑO (Granada, 1665 - 1732).
"Virgin and Child".
Carved and polychrome wood. Circle of José Risueño
Measurements: 76x 42 x 42 x 52 cm.
Singular devotional piece, of considerable dimensions. It is a round carving representing the Virgin with the Infant Jesus on her lap. It is a sculpture of great quality, appreciable both in the carving and in the polychromy, with the gilded details and pigments of the original being largely preserved. Sumptuous star-like details are reproduced with great delicacy, completely covering the tunic, which is draped over Mary's lap and falls in deep draperies. The theme of the Virgin depicted with the Child Jesus, and more specifically with the Child Jesus on her lap, seated or standing, has its origins in the Eastern religions of antiquity, in images such as that of Isis with her son Horus, but the most direct reference is to the Virgin as the "Sedes Sapientiae", or throne of God, in medieval Christian art. Gradually, with the advance of naturalism, the Virgin will pass from being a simple "throne" of the Child to revealing a relationship of affection, beginning in the Gothic period. From then on, the figures would acquire movement, moving closer to each other, and finally the concept of the throne would disappear, with the secondary role of the Virgin. In this way, the image became an example of the love between Mary and her Son, an image of tenderness, close, designed to move the soul of the faithful.

Aesthetically, the piece is close to the work of the painter and sculptor from Granada, son of the artist Manuel Risueño, José began his training in his father's workshop with the sculptors Diego and José de Mora and the painter Juan de Sevilla, all of them disciples of Alonso Cano, head and initiator of the Granada school of the Baroque. Throughout his life Risueño produced an abundant artistic output of religious themes, characterised by the combination of the influence of Cano's models with a taste for naturalism and the use of Flemish prints by Van Dyck to construct his compositions. He enjoyed great success during his lifetime and was in fact protected by prominent members of the Church and worked in the factory of Granada cathedral, which guaranteed him a flow of commissions. From 1693 onwards, his main patron was Archbishop Martín Azcargorta, and it was precisely from that time onwards that the artist reached the maturity of his language and mastery. He produced important works such as the Christ of the convent of San Ángel and the Inmaculada del altar of the cathedral of Granada, although his most famous work, and also his last, was the series of sixteen figures that make up the main altarpiece of San Ildefonso. José Risueño's sculpture is characterised by small figures, Rococo-influenced technical virtuosity and the quality of his polychromes, given that he was also a painter. It should be noted that he worked not only in wood carving but also in stone and terracotta, producing altarpieces, doorways and church façades, most of them in his native Granada. As a painter he produced important religious works such as "La coronación de Santa Rosalía" and "Los desposorios místicos de Santa Catalina", in the cathedral of Granada, and he collaborated with Palomino in the execution of "El triunfo de la Eucaristía y San Bruno" in the dome of the Sagrario in the Carthusian monastery in Granada. He also painted portraits such as that of his protector Azcargorta (Archbishop's Palace, Granada). Works by José Risueño are currently held in the Prado Museum (work on deposit in the Provincial Museum of Lugo), the Museum of Fine Arts in Granada, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and other public and private collections.