School of Trapani, 17th century

School of Trapani, 17th century.
"Sleeping Infant Jesus".
Carved alabaster, with traces of polychrome and gilding.
Provenance: Former collection of Jaime Trigo.
Published in the book "Albaster through the time, Jamie Trigo Collection", 2008, pp. 110-111.
Measurements: 16 x 22 x 12 cm (Child); 11 x 24 x 12 cm (base).

Important 17th century Trapani devotional sculpture in polychrome and gilded alabaster, of extraordinary technical delicacy and remarkable iconographic richness. The work represents the sleeping Baby Jesus in a composition of great lyricism, where the sweetness of sacred childhood is combined with a subtle allusion to the redemptive sacrifice.

The use of alabaster, a material especially appreciated in small sculpture for its fineness, translucency and tactile quality, enhances the softness of the modeling and gives the figure a particularly refined presence. The remains of polychrome and gilding enrich the surface and accentuate the precious character of the piece.

The iconography of the sleeping Child, frequent in the spheres of cultured private devotion, acquires here a special intensity through the incorporation of symbolic attributes linked to meditation on death and salvation. Far from being a simple friendly image, the sculpture proposes a complex spiritual reading, fully in accordance with the Flemish baroque sensibility.

The original base deserves special mention, profusely worked with openwork scrolls and ornamental motifs of great decorative effect, which adds monumentality to the whole and reinforces its exceptional attractiveness. All this makes for a piece of singular quality, very representative of the technical refinement and devotional depth of 17th century Flemish sculpture.