Spanish school, XVII century.

Spanish School, XVII century.
"Christ helped by Simon of Cyrene".
Carved wood, gilded and polychrome.
It presents faults and restorations.
Measurements: 86,5 x 142 cm.
This relief belongs to the devotional production of the Spanish school of the XVII century, in full force of the postulates of the Counter-Reformation, when the polychrome sculpture reached an extraordinary narrative and emotional capacity at the service of piety. The scene represents the moment on the Way of Calvary in which Christ, exhausted by the weight of the cross, is helped by Simon of Cyrene, an episode collected by the synoptic Gospels and especially emphasized by baroque spirituality as an image of compassion and human participation in the redemptive sacrifice.
From the stylistic point of view, the work is inscribed in a baroque aesthetic of marked naturalism, visible in the anatomical characterization of the figures, in the attention to the gestures and in the dynamic disposition of the whole. The figures are articulated in a narrative frieze of marked relief, where the Roman soldiers, with firm attitudes and militarized clothing, contrast with the figure of Christ, overcome by effort and pain. The composition is organized from left to right, guiding the viewer's gaze towards the central axis formed by the cross, the true symbolic and structural core of the scene.
The polychrome, in earthy and reddish tones, reinforces the drama through sober chromatic hallmarks, while the gilding of the background, worked with geometric sgraffito, introduces a symbolic plane that separates the sacred episode from the everyday space, emphasizing its transcendent character. This resource, common in Spanish imagery, combines medieval tradition and baroque sensibility, giving the scene a timeless and sacralized aura.
The iconography of Simon of Cyrene appears here as that of a robust man, physically integrated in Christ's effort, which reinforces his theological role as a figure of the believer who shares the burden of the suffering of others. Christ, on the other hand, is represented with a marked contained pathos: bowed head, defeated body and gesture of resignation, features that connect with the aesthetics of baroque pathos and with the catechetical will to move the faithful. These elements allow us to relate the work to the stylistic features of 17th century Spanish image makers, especially those active in areas such as Castile or Andalusia, where expressive realism, emotional intensity and narrative clarity were hallmarks.