Christ; Indo-Portuguese School, XVII century.

Christ; Indo-Portuguese School, XVII century.
Ivory and wooden cross covered with tortoiseshell and mounted in silver.
Measurements: 30 x 29 cm; 56 x 47 cm (cross).
Crucified Christ of the Indo-Portuguese school, dated XVII century, elaborated in ivory and mounted on a wooden cross lined in tortoiseshell, with applications of gilded silver mount worked in filigree, following the aesthetic canons of the luso-oriental art.
The sculpture represents the crucified Christ, at the moment of expiration, with his head slightly tilted to one side and his gaze directed downward, an expression that conveys both suffering and redemptive serenity. The body, carved in ivory, shows a naturalistic anatomy, with great attention to the modeling of the torso and the treatment of the folds of the purity cloth, which is tied with an elegant ribbon on the right side. The details of the face, the curly beard, the long hair, the crown of thorns, reveal the skill of the carver, capable of combining the rigidity of the material with a deep spiritual charge.
The cross, lined with dark tortoiseshell, is ornamented with metallic appliqués with vegetal and geometric motifs, typical of Luso-Oriental craftsmanship, which fuses the European ornamental heritage with the refined decorative work of the Indian subcontinent. In the upper part, the traditional title INRI is distinguished, and in the lower part, the symbols of the skull and crossed tibias, an allusion to Mount Golgotha.
This type of crucifix is characteristic of the Indo-Portuguese school, a hybrid style that emerged during Portuguese colonial rule in Goa, Cochin and other regions of India from the 16th century onwards. Local workshops, run by Portuguese missionaries or artisans, used indigenous materials such as ivory, tortoiseshell or tropical woods, combining oriental techniques with Christian iconography.
In the context of the 17th century, Indo-Portuguese crucifixes symbolize not only the expansion of Christianity through the Jesuit mission, but also the technical, artistic and spiritual exchange that characterized the Portuguese colonial world.