Spanish school; first half of the XVII century.... Lot 14

Spanish school; first half of the XVII century. "Saint Anthony Abbot. Carved wood, polychrome and gilded. It presents jumps in the polychrome and old adaptation. Measures: 40 x 23 cm; 52 x 36 cm (frame). The physiognomic features, as well as the attributes and clothing, allow us to suppose that it is about Saint Anthony Abbot, one of the founders of the eremitical movement. In the account of his life as it has come down to us through ancient sources, legend and historical facts are intermingled. It is known that he abandoned his possessions to lead a hermit's life in Egypt. This life of retreat attracted other Christians, whom he helped to organize, and he is therefore considered one of the founders of Christian monasticism. According to legend, the saint was repeatedly tempted by the devil during his retreat, and these temptations have become a great source of inspiration for artists of all ages and styles, from Bosch to Dali. In this case we are faced with a devotional figure, perhaps from a chapel or oratory dedicated to the saint. Baroque sculpture is one of the most authentic and personal examples of our art, because its conception and form of expression arose from the people and the deepest feelings that nestled in it. With the economy of the State broken, the nobility in decline and the high clergy burdened with heavy taxes, it was the monasteries, parishes and confraternities of clerics and laymen who promoted its development, the works sometimes being financed by popular subscription. Sculpture was thus compelled to embody the prevailing ideals in these environments, which were none other than religious ones, at a time when the counter-reformist doctrine demanded from art a realistic language so that the faithful would understand and identify with what was represented, and an expression endowed with an intense emotional content to increase the fervor and devotion of the people. The religious subject is, therefore, the preferred theme of Spanish sculpture of this period, which in the first decades of the century began with a priority interest in capturing the natural, to progressively intensify throughout the century the expression of expressive values.