Novo-Hispanic school; XVIII century.

Novo-Hispanic school; XVIII century.
"Virgin of Guadalupe".
Carved and polychrome wood.
Presents faults.
Measurements: 56 x 27 x 17 cm.
This sculpture belongs to the Guadalupan iconographic tradition developed in New Spain during the 18th century, a period of extraordinary artistic vitality in which the Marian devotion reached an unprecedented depth. The image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which emerged from the apparitions of 1531 and consolidated as an identifying symbol of the viceroyalty, became one of the most reproduced and reinterpreted motifs by the New Spain workshops, both in painting and sculpture.
From the iconographic point of view, the work responds to the canonical model: the Virgin is presented standing, with her hands joined in a praying attitude, her face serene and contained, wrapped in the pink tunic and the starry blue-green mantle, symbols of her celestial nature and her role as mediator between the divine and the human. The polychrome wood carving allows a volumetric treatment that reinforces the physical presence of the image, accentuating its devotional character and its function as a close and tangible object of worship. The polychromy, applied with chromatic sensitivity, contributes to endow the figure with a visual softness that invites intimate contemplation.
Novo-Hispanic sculpture of the 18th century is characterized by the creative assimilation of European models, especially from the late Baroque, reinterpreted through local sensibilities, techniques inherited from the indigenous tradition and a deep symbolic charge. In this context, the Novo-Hispanic school developed its own language, recognizable by its expressive delicacy, its attention to detail and its ability to convey emotion without resorting to dramatic excesses. This piece is fully inscribed in that tradition, evidencing the mastery of the Viceroyal workshops in the work of wood and polychromy.
The artistic relevance of the novo-Hispanic school lies not only in its formal quality, but also in its fundamental role in the construction of a visual and spiritual identity in the colonial world. Works such as this Virgin of Guadalupe are testimony to the convergence of faith, art and society, and occupy a prominent place.