Italian or Spanish school; 18th century.

Italian or Spanish school; XVIII century.
"Pair of allegories".
Carved and polychrome wood.
Presents faults.
Measurements: 28 x 9 x 10 cm (x2).
Pair of sculptures representing allegories related to the agricultural cycle, specifically Summer and Autumn. Made in carved and polychrome wood, they represent masculine figures, half-naked, carved with a characteristic dynamism of the late baroque. Each carries unmistakable attributes: the figure of Summer holds a bundle of corn, traditional symbol of the harvest and cereal abundance; the figure of Autumn, on the other hand, carries a large bunch of grapes and a vine shoot, emblems of the grape harvest and the process of transforming the fruit into wine.
The association between the two seasons not only refers not only to the natural order of the agricultural year, but also to a symbolic and theological reading. Since these pieces were conceived for a religious space, their iconography transcends the mere seasonal motif to become part of an allegorical program linked to the Eucharist. Wheat and grapes, essential elements of the productive cycle represented, are the same elements that, transformed into bread and wine, become sacramental material. Thus, the sculptures articulate a direct relationship between the fertility of the earth, human labor and the Eucharistic mystery, underlining the idea that divine grace is made present through the fruits of creation.