Attributed to the workshops of liturgical embroidery... Lot 50

Attributed to the workshops of liturgical embroidery of the monastery San Lorenzo of El Escorial, circa 1579-1584 Saint John the Baptist in embroidery of naked gold, gold, silk and silver threads. The fleshings, executed with the stitch cutting crossing silk with satin stitch the strands of gold thread, after having "stripped" them of the metal blade. The embroidery of hair and beards in split stitch, following the direction of the curls or waves. Spain, late 16th century. Height 24,2 Width 16,8 cm. Provenance : Josiane and Daniel Fruman collection. A late 16th century Spanish embroidered chasuble by the royal monastery of El Escorial depicting Saint John the Baptist. An exhaustive presentation with bibliographical sources and documentation is available on the rouillac.com website. The quality of the design and the precious execution of our panel make it a masterpiece that can only come from a great workshop. The only "exotic" element that could allow us to identify its workshop of production is the very particular palm tree to the right of Saint John the Baptist. It appears in an engraving representing the Flight into Egypt executed by Dürer around 1503-1504, and interpreted in two almost identical embroidered panels, with the same subject, from the liturgical embroidery workshop of El Escorial. The same representation of the bark and palms is found in these three works and in our panel. A set of liturgical vestments decorated with bare gold embroidery depicting scenes from the life of St. John the Baptist is referenced in the monastery of El Escorial. It was made between 1579 and 1584. In 1586, the embroiderer Juan de Grijalba asked for a financial reward for the work of some of the figures and mascarons that he had made for this set, which has now disappeared entirely.