Spanish school, end of the 16th century - beginning of the 17th century.

Spanish school, end of the XVI century - beginning of the XVII century.
"Saint Peter" and "Saint Paul".
Pair of reliefs in gilded and polychrome wood.
Measurements: 48.5 x 22.5 cm.
This pair of reliefs offers us the effigies of the "princes of the apostles", St. Peter and St. Paul, standing in front of two niches. St. Peter holds in his right hand two enormous keys that refer to the power granted by Christ over earth and Heaven, while in his left hand he holds a closed book, a common attribute of apostles, evangelists and other categories of saints. St. Paul, on the other hand, rests with a natural gesture on a great sword, which alludes to his martyrdom. Both also present the characteristic physiognomic features that allow them to be easily identified: St. Peter's short beard and prominent bald head and St. Paul's long beard. Both figures wear clothes of classical inspiration, with long tunics and cloaks decorated with geometric borders. The tunics and cloaks are also tight to the body, revealing the underlying anatomy and bare feet, and billowing in folds that add dynamism to the reliefs. Both figures are placed in front of shallow niches, topped with semi-domes with pendentives and spandrels decorated with heads of seraphs or cherubs, with childlike features. Both the treatment of the folds and the architecture reveal that we are already in an advanced moment of the Renaissance, in which characteristic elements of the Baroque are beginning to be introduced. The reliefs still show remarkable remains of their original polychromy, where the use of the "estofado" technique can be observed. The term could come from "stoffa", Italian for "thick cloth", and consists of the application of gold leaf, later covered with polychrome. The paint is later scraped to reveal the gold, achieving a large number of shades and the imitation of sumptuous fabrics such as brocade. This can be seen especially on the back of the panels, where a rich fabric with a sophisticated floral design is precisely imitated. Due to their structure and iconography, both reliefs must have initially belonged to a larger set, perhaps functioning as doors of a triptych or tabernacle.