Spanish School, XVII century. Lot n° 34

Spanish School, XVII century. "The angel and the shepherdess". Oil on canvas. Needs restoration and cleaning. Measurements: 76 x 57 cm; 77 x 58 cm (frame). It is represented in this painting a passage of biblical inspiration probably related to the Annunciation to the Shepherds, although it also presents iconographic affinities with the theme of the Divine Shepherdess. The archangel Gabriel, incarnated spirit, appears to a peasant girl accompanied by a small child who is sleeping peacefully lying next to a rock. The angel's red robe flutters in a soft wind that enhances his ethereal condition. The foreshortened figure points with his hand in a direction that the young girl must follow: possibly, the place of the birth of the Christ Child. Although it is not a conventional representation of the angel's irruption to the sleeping shepherds, the gesture of the hand leads us to think of the biblical passage. The forest glade that welcomes the characters is represented following baroque postulates, in terms of expressive lighting, strong light contrasts and a certain idealization of nature, in which the Flemish influence can be clearly appreciated. The young shepherdess is wrapped in tunics and capes whose drapery has been rendered with naturalistic intent. Her face, softly modeled by a warm light, has been slightly idealized, as has that of the sleeping child. The painter shows special skill in the anatomical characterization of the three figures, chiseled by faint tonal shifts. A path zigzags behind the scene, escaping into the distance. This is an intuitive way of working depth and perspective, using above all a rich chromatic range rather than drawing, in accordance with the Flemish tradition.