Master of Trapani; first half of the XVI century.

Master of Trapani; first half of the sixteenth century.
"Madonna and Child".
Carved marble.
Measurements: 65 x 30 x 19,5 cm.
Mary is standing, dressed in a long-sleeved tunic over a shirt that shows through the forearms, and only partially covered by a mantle that, when falling, creates the usual movement in this type of works, made following a style very inspired by the Italian measured classicism. With one of her arms she holds the small figure of Jesus, dedicating to each other a tender look that enhances the emotionality of the piece.
Trapani, on the island of Sicily, was an important artistic center for the production of alabaster devotional figures The city of Trapani was one of the main centers for the production of luxury goods during the Baroque period. Heirs of the classical tradition and also influenced by the Arab world, they created multiple goods of extreme quality with particularly fine materials. They excelled in the works of alabaster and coral as in our case. The Italian nativity scene is one of the most consolidated Christmas traditions, and has remained unchanged for centuries. The oldest would be the one located in the church of Santa Maria del Mesebre in 1025, known only from documentary sources. Another of the oldest is that of Amalfi, from the 14th century. Also, in 1340 Queen Sancha of Majorca (wife of Robert I of Anjou) gave the Clarisse a crib for the new church, of which today the figure of the Virgin Mary is preserved (Museum of San Martino). Another of the oldest preserved examples, dated 1478, is a nativity scene by Pietro and Giovanni Alemanno with twelve figures. They were also made in marble, as attested by the one by Antonio Rossellino of Sant'Anna dei Lombardi, dated 1475. Thus, already in the 15th century we find Neapolitan sculptors specialized in the genre, and in the 16th century the first terracotta figures appear in the crib made by Matteo Mastrogiudice, a nobleman from Sorrento. In the 17th century the Neapolitan nativity scene became larger in its scenery, and the figures multiplied; the characters were smaller and often made of wood. Finally, the XVIII century will be the Golden Age of the Nativity Scene in Naples, during the reign of Charles III. The figures multiply, the narrative of the representation increases and we will see all kinds of profane elements, with representations of noble characters besides shepherds, innkeepers, shopkeepers, etc.