Atribuido a Nicolás Salzillo (1672-1727)."Alma... Lot n° 1264

Dimensions: 31 x 31 x 56 cm. The sculpture that we present shows the Child Jesus following the iconography known as "Sleeping Soul", whose origins can be traced in the figure of the sleeping Eros. The Child appears naked and lying on a blue mantle that covers the floor. Deeply asleep, his muscles appear relaxed and his face shows a half-open mouth, while with his hands he touches a heart. The outstanding quality of the carving can be appreciated in the waves of the hair, the expression of the face or the work of the anatomy. Likewise, the piece has an exceptional polychrome that stands out in the blush of the face or the veins that are transparent in the heart. Nicolas Salzillo, born in Naples, was trained in the workshop of the Perrone brothers, leaving Italy in 1697-1698. Settled in Murcia, he formed his workshop there, receiving important commissions from the confraternities and churches of the region. In 1707 his son Francisco was born, who, trained in his father's workshop, became one of the most outstanding sculptors of the time. The growth of Nicolás' workshop led him to hire apprentices or disciples from outside the family circle. Upon his death in 1727, his son Francisco was left in charge of the workshop. The piece can be compared to the one conserved in the Convent of Santa Ana in Murcia, a work by Nicolás Salzillo that represents the Infant Jesus in this singular iconography. Few infantile representations of the sculptor are preserved. "Doctrinally, the image of the Child Jesus, placidly asleep, or meditating on the cross, referred to the continuous struggle between vice and virtue developed inside the human soul, whose outcome, provided that good was victorious, led to a comforting rest and a deep serenity. The soul, after this hard struggle, fell into what has been called "tanatos", the eternal sleep, knowing that it was already free from all evil. In this sense, the sculptural representation of sleep, often materialized in the figure of a sleeping child, also influenced the shaping of this iconography; an example is the work by Alessandro Algardi, executed in 1635 and preserved in the Galleria Borghese in Rome (fig. 252)." Excerpted from "The Child Jesus in the Monastery of the Descalzas Reales de Madrid", Patrimonio Nacional, 2010. Provenance: private collection Alicante. Exhibitions: part of the exhibition "Puer natus: images of the Divine Infant", Salzillo Museum of Murcia, from December 7, 2023 to February 4, 2024. Reproduced on pages 107 and 108 of the catalog.