SILVER AND GILT SILVER PYX. 16TH CENTURY.

Cast and chased silver pyx. Spain, towards the end of the 16th century. A cylindrical box with a molded base beneath a wide frieze featuring interlaced bands and simplified vegetal motifs. The molded lid is decorated with bands forming figure-eight patterns alternating with flowers and fleur-de-lis motifs, topped with a small cone adorned with a pearl. Above this rises a three-nailed Crucifix, draped with a loincloth around the knees and accompanied by a cartouche. Judging by the gilding on the interior, this standless pyx would have been used to hold the Sacred Hosts, perhaps in the tabernacle of a church. The decorative elements of the piece and the figure of Christ at the top reflect Renaissance influence, but also show Gothic reminiscences. The Renaissance appears in Castilian silversmithing shortly before 1520, and it is only from the end of Philip III's reign that the term Baroque is generally used. In the Crown of Aragon, the political and economic decline of the region led to a significant decrease in both the quantity and quality of production, with the notable exception of Aragon and, above all, Zaragoza, which subsequently reached unparalleled splendor. Something similar occurs with the form: while there are similar examples during the Gothic period (a pyx by Diego de Abanza or one of his sons, made in Burgos towards the end of the 15th century and preserved in the Diocesan Museum of Sigüenza, Guadalajara), this typology would persist even into the Baroque period with numerous variations. Compare it with works such as a pyx in the Museum of Málaga (BA/CE00305), with a similar lid and decoration, or, above all, with the one in the Ángel Quílez collection (inventory CAQ-47) of the future Museum of Alcáñiz (Teruel), with a similar profile and decoration, both from the end of the 16th century. And note the difference with, for example, the Castilian from the last third of the century preserved in the National Museum of Decorative Arts (CE19659) or that of Juan de Bendígar from the Lázaro Galdiano Museum (inventory 02165) from the second third of the century, with a greater Renaissance influence. Weight: 176 gr.

· Size: 10x10x9,5 cms.