Castilian Portapaz, 1525-1540.

Castilian Portapaz, 1525-1540.
"Nativity".
Cast copper, chiseled and originally gilded.
Published in "Silver and bronzes in the Bordonaro collection", Volume II, by Cesar Gonzalez Zamora. Ref.24.7, card nº 164.
It presents important losses of the gilding.
Measurements: 14,5 x 10,5 x 6 cm.

Castilian Portapaz from the first half of the 16th century, belonging to the field of Renaissance liturgical goldsmithery, conceived as a miniature architectural doorway, a typology widely spread in the episcopal and parochial context of the period.

The composition is structured around a semicircular arch, supported by lateral columns, which frames a Nativity scene. In the center is the Child Jesus, flanked by the figures of the Virgin and St. Joseph, treated with a narrative and devotional modeling, with soft volumes and wide folds. The scene is sheltered under a venerated niche, an element of classical roots very frequent in Renaissance sculpture.

In the upper part, the architrave presents an inscription in Latin, while the semicircular top houses two bearded busts facing each other, integrated in an iconographic program of clear symbolic and doctrinal intention. The whole is supported by a decorated plinth, from which a Latin cross emerges, reinforcing the liturgical character of the object.

The technique of cast copper and later chiseled allows a rich articulation of reliefs and ornamental details. Although the original gilding is not preserved, its mention documents the initial quality of the piece and its representative function within the ecclesiastical ceremonial. The current patina provides a homogeneous reading of the whole and underlines its antiquity.

From the functional point of view, the peace holder was destined for the rite of the kiss of peace, being an object of direct contact with the faithful, which explains both its compact format and the wear and tear typical of continuous liturgical use.

The publication in a reference work such as the Bordonaro collection reinforces the historical and collector interest of the piece. Overall, it is a significant example of the serial production of pestle holders in Castile during the Renaissance, especially attractive to collectors of sacred art, historical goldsmiths and liturgical objects from the 15th and 16th centuries.