Decorative tray. Spain, mid-twentieth century

Decorative tray. Spain, mid-twentieth century.
"Invasion of the barbarians".
Silver.
With punches.
Presents restoration.
Measurements: 42 x 60 cm.

It is a decorative plate bathed in silver, worked with the technique of the "schiacciato", system of modeling in the sculptural relief used by the Romans and perfected in the XV century by Donatello, that consists of proportionally diminishing the bulk of the relief in function of the depth that is wanted to represent. This sculptural technique makes it possible to create a bas-relief with a minimal variation (sometimes referred to as millimeters) with respect to the background. To give the viewer the illusion of depth, the gradual decrease in the depth of the thickness is complemented by the rigorous application of the laws of perspective, which enhances the visual effect. Thus, while the characters in the foreground protrude far out of the foreground, worked in high relief, the stairs and the cobblestones in the background rise much less, and their details are defined with a softer, shallower chiseling. In this relief, the level of detail achieved by the author is impressive, who manages to precisely define the anatomy of the horses and even the folds of the fabrics.
The central scene depicts the moment in which a group of barbarians, led by the first one who is ahead of the rest of the group, violently enters an important classical building, as indicated by the majestic stairs in the background. Most probably, the events take place between the fourth and sixteenth centuries, a historical period characterized by the migration of barbarian peoples, so called by the Europeans because they were foreigners and did not speak the common language, i.e. Latin or Greek. The protagonists have been made with great detail, presenting their bodies only covered by tunics that hang down, allowing us to see their naked torso. The violent posture of the barbarians stands out, who raise their spears showing their anger and bravery, and turn around in varied and contorted positions, thus configuring a dynamic scene full of vitality that transmits to the viewer the tension of the moment. The artist of the piece chooses not to frame the event, making a wink to the viewer, as horses are presented cut by the frame of the plate, which are approaching from behind and allude to the large dimensions that the barbarian armies presented in his day, thus hinting at the force that they meant. Around the central scene there is decoration in three registers. The first of them shows a molding configured from the repetition of small spheres, which divide the central event of a border in which a series of bas-reliefs made from scrolls and acanthus are represented. This same pattern is repeated in the third of the registers, of greater width, which presents a central medallion with the title of the scene.