Set of two crucified Christs, 20th century.

Set of two crucified Christs, 20th century.
One of them is by JÚLIA RAMALHO (Galegos, Barcelos, Portugal, 1946).
Made of glazed ceramic, signed by Júlia Ramalho.
The other is made of terracotta.
Measurements: 40 x 22 cm and 42 x 36 cm.

The style of these two Christs draws on medieval-inspired models reinterpreted through a contemporary sculptural sensibility, where formal simplification and the patina take on a clear expressive value. The glazed ceramic piece, attributed to Júlia Ramalho, stands out for its honey-colored glaze, the frontal orientation of the body, and a deliberately schematic expressiveness—characteristic features of the Portuguese figurative tradition of Barcelos. The head, with its strong ornamental presence, and the incised treatment of the torso reinforce its folk and symbolic character.

The second piece, made of terracotta with a greenish patina, offers a more sober and hieratic interpretation of the Triumphant Christ, with the body partially covered by a tunic and the arms outstretched in a frontal pose.

Júlia Ramalho is one of the most renowned Portuguese ceramic artists in the field of Barcelos figurative art. The granddaughter of Rosa Ramalho, she began learning to work with clay as a child and has kept alive a folk tradition characterized by highly expressive figures, honey-colored glazes, and an iconography that blends the religious, the fantastical, and the ancestral.