”RESSURRECTION”. POLYCHROMED WOOD. SPANISH SCHOOL, 16TH CENTURY.

Resurrection of Christ. Carved and polychrome wood. Spanish school, 16th century. On one side of the piece there is a relief with the theme of the Resurrection of Christ: Jesus, dressed in the golden shroud, appears in the middle of a beam of light and clouds, standing over the tomb and raising one arm while holding with the other hand a staff topped with a cross and a flag fluttering in the wind; At the bottom there are four soldiers, in different postures and attitudes. The other side shows a chalice with a Sacred Form (in which a Crucified figure appears flanked by the Virgin and Saint John in grisaille), raised by two angels; All the elements are placed on a golden background, in a space surrounded by clouds; To one side you can see a piece of wood in which, originally, a bolt would have been attached, and on the other there are remains of two hinges. It is this element that suggests that the relief was surely a Tabernacle door. The piece follows a common decoration in Renaissance and Baroque Tabernacles. Compare, for example, with that of the 17th century on the main altar of the church of the Monastery of Santa Isabel in Madrid, or with others preserved in private collections. The Resurrection scene recalls details such as the variety of postures of the soldiers, the anatomy of Christ, the movement of the shroud around his body, etc. to outstanding pieces such as the 16th century relief in Renaissance style from the Monastery Museum of the Cistercian Abbey of Cañas in La Rioja. Although they are parts of an altar with varied themes, Salvation is always insisted on, as they are intended to contain the Sacred Form.

· Size: 32x5x52 cms.