Catalan school, 17th century. Virgin of Montserrat. Relief... Lot 44

Catalan school, 17th century. Virgin of Montserrat. Relief in polychrome wood. Slight faults in the polychromy. Measurements: 41 x 54 x 9 cm; 51 x 64,5 x 9 cm (frame). Bas-relief from the Spanish school and Baroque period, dedicated to La Moreneta, the black virgin, patron saint of Catalonia but worshipped since medieval times beyond geographical borders. The Maternity occupies the centre of the composition, worked in greater relief than the surrounding landscape. Flanked by devotees, she is situated on the slopes of the mountain of Montserrat, with its pinnacles sculpted with painstaking attention to detail, forming its characteristic orography imbued with spiritual resonance. The abbey and monastery have also been depicted, with the architecture looming between the peaks. Legend has it that the first image of the Virgin of Montserrat was found by shepherd children in the year 880. After seeing a light on the mountain, the children found the image inside a cave. On hearing the news, the bishop of Manresa tried to move the image to Manresa, but it was impossible to do so because the statue was too heavy. The bishop interpreted this as the Virgin's wish to remain in the place where she had been found and ordered the construction of the hermitage of Santa Maria, the origin of the present-day monastery.