Niche; Spanish School, 18th century and later

Niche; Spanish School, 18th century and later
Polychrome coniferous wood (marble imitation)
It has some damage.
Measurements: 56.5 x 49 x 30 cm.

Niche or small reliquary shrine with a polygonal plan, designed in the style of a classical architectural portal, with an entablature resting on smooth-shanked columns, polychromed to imitate veined green marble, which rest on a base similarly decorated with panels featuring marbled veining in reddish and ochre tones. The central section, with a background finished to imitate brocatel red marble, houses a glazed niche with a semicircular arch flanked by two glazed side openings, intended for displaying an image or relic. The ensemble is crowned by a double molded cornice, and the entire structure rests on a stepped base with a mixtilinear profile.

The structure, clearly of Classicist origin and crafted entirely of wood using the polychrome technique to imitate marble, a decorative technique widely used in Italian and Spanish religious cabinetmaking since the 17th century to imitate noble materials at a lower cost, corresponds to a type of devotional furniture characteristic of sacristy furnishings.