Sacred Heart of Jesus. Southern Europe, 19th century

Sacred Heart of Jesus. Southern Europe, 19th century.
Handcrafted with fine braided and pressed vegetal elements, probably dyed and trimmed wheat or rye straw.
The glass is broken on the lower right side.
Measurements: 72 x 57 x 10 cm.

This Sacred Heart, probably dating from the 19th century, is a delicate work of devotional art handcrafted with fine braided, pressed and cut vegetal elements, possibly wheat or rye straw treated to obtain different golden tones. The composition presents in the center the Sacred Heart of Jesus, surrounded by a crown of thorns and arranged on a luminous burst, while an elaborate frame of ears of corn, bunches of grapes, vine leaves and symmetrical ornamental motifs reinforces its Eucharistic symbolism. The meticulousness of the work, the natural shine of the plant fibers and the decorative richness of the whole reveal a remarkable technical skill, characteristic of popular and conventual European religious productions of the 19th century, intended both for private devotion and for the ornamentation of places of worship.