Virgin Crown; Guatemala, c. 1750-1760.

Virgin Crown; Guatemala, c. 1750-1760.
Gilded silver with Colombian embroidery.
Presents losses.
With punches.
Measurements: 26 x 23 cm.
Weight: 528 g.
This Virgin's crown, made around the middle of the XVIII century, is a remarkable example of Hispano-American sacred goldsmithery in the context of the late Baroque. It was conceived to girdle the head of a Marian image, probably for dress.
The openwork structure responds to a frequent typology in the workshops of Guatemala and New Granada, where the goldsmith tradition reached high levels of technical refinement. The crown is organized from a circular base richly decorated with scrolls, cartouches and vegetal motifs of baroque roots, on which rise curved imperials that converge in an orb topped by a cross. This scheme, heir to the European royal crowns, underlines the triumphal and celestial character of the piece.
Executed in gilded silver, a procedure that combines the structural solidity of the metal with the symbolic shine of gold, associated with divine light. The chiseling and fretwork work reveals skill in the elaboration of filigree, scrolls and intertwined vegetal elements, generating an effect of lightness and visual dynamism. The incorporation of emeralds, probably from Colombian mines, adds a chromatic accent and a material value that links the piece to the economic networks of the viceroyalty, where the exploitation of metals and precious stones was fundamental.
In short, this crown is part of the tradition of American colonial silverware, characterized by the synthesis between European models and local material resources.