Granada School; end of the XVII century.

Granada School; late seventeenth century.
"Virgin and Child".
Oil on copper.
It has a period frame.
Measurements: 26 x 20 cm; 41 x 36 cm (frame).
The composition is organized around a close approach between the Virgin and Child, represented in the foreground and closely embraced. Mary gently tilts her face towards her Son, establishing a physical and emotional contact that reinforces the human and affective character of the scene. The Child, gathered against his mother's breast, is treated with a tender and serene naturalism, underlining the incarnated dimension of the divine, one of the essential features of the religious Baroque.
From the technical point of view, the use of copper as a support is particularly significant. This material, common in small-format works destined for private oratories, allows a fine brushstroke and a polished finish, visible in the smoothness of the flesh tones and in the careful treatment of the folds of the mantle. The metallic surface also favors an intense and enveloping luminosity, which enhances the chromatic hallmarks and gives depth to the dark tones of the background.
The lighting, directed and carefully graduated, focuses attention on the faces and the gesture of the embrace, while the neutral and somber background eliminates any narrative distraction. The chromatism, dominated by deep greens, warm reds and rosy flesh tones, responds to the tradition of the Granada school, characterized by its balance between sobriety and chromatic elegance. The face of the Virgin, with a sweet and melancholic expression, transmits an introspective spirituality that connects with the devotional sensibility of the end of the 17th century.