VIRGIN OF CARMEL (DRESSED UP). WOOD, METAL AND TEXTILE. SPANISH SCHOOL, 19TH CENTURY.

Virgin of Carmen to dress. Wood, metal and textile. Spanish school of the 19th century. Virgin of Carmen carved in wood and polychrome, a dress image richly dressed in a gold embroidered tunic with a white lace collar, a white mantle with gold thread lace in the profile and a delicate veil on the head, also white. The Child, which he holds in his left arm, wears a white shirt with a lace collar and cuffs and a brown tunic also embroidered and finished in gold thread, with a cord at the waist of the same material. The golden lace that adorns Mary's mantle represents scallops, alluding to the marine character of the Virgin of Carmen. Mary holds the scapular with her right hand, and wears long earrings made of gold and silver thread and an openwork royal crown decorated with rays and stars, made of metal. The Child also appears wearing a radial metal crown, simpler than his mother's. The carving work balances naturalism and idealization, and shows a typically nineteenth-century delicacy and sweetness that is enhanced by the subtle polychromy, with light, evanescent tones, highly nuanced with glazes. The eyes of both figures are made of glass, a common element in 19th century Spanish dress images that adds vividness to the images. The set stands on a pedestal of clouds polychrome with the stew technique, supported by a stylized foot of architectural design with a marble plinth simulated using polychrome. Weight: 5.5kg.

· Size: 42x27x116 cms