Neoclassical child sculpture; Spain, 19th century.

Neoclassical child sculpture; Spain, XIX century.
Silver.
Presents punches.
Measurements: 15 x 4 cm.
Weight: 250 g.
Silver sculpture that fully responds to the formal ideology of Neoclassicism, a movement that in 19th century Spain recovered the models of classical antiquity as a paradigm of beauty, balance and naturalness. The infant figure, treated with a studied contrapposto and a dynamic gesture, evokes the tradition of the classical putti and geniecillos, reinterpreted here with 19th century aesthetics.

The modeling of the body, of soft and proportioned anatomy, reveals a remarkable technical mastery in the work of silver, a material that enhances the play of light on the polished surfaces and underlines the sculptural quality of the whole. The expression of the face and the movement of the raised arm bring vivacity to the composition, distancing it from an academic rigidity and giving it a friendly and decorative character.
The figure stands on an architectural base with moldings and supports of classical taste, which reinforce the neoclassical reading of the work and give it stability and presence. In its original context, pieces of this nature were intended to enrich bourgeois or aristocratic interiors.