RELIEVE. POLICHROMED AND GILDED WOOD. 16TH CENTURY.

Relief. Carved, polychrome and gilded wood. Century XVI. Slightly rectangular wooden plaque decorated with a relief on its front, made by lowering the shape so that “a frame” remains on the board that serves as the base of the work. It is possible to see, with a golden finish, a symmetrical composition with a polychrome angel head topped by an axis with plant elements and a molding, from which two fantastic birds resembling eagles stand back to back and joined to that “line.” for their tails. The background does not present any decorative element, neither carved nor painted, thus leaving the aforementioned elements to take center stage. These types of compositions were very common in the Renaissance throughout Europe, as the “fashion” of grotesques spread from Italy. In the Spanish case, it is possible to compare it with elements present in many other works of the 16th century, such as the Main Altarpiece of the Parish Church of Santa María (Villa de Tauste, Zaragoza) made of Scots pine wood and the polychrome probably finished in 1529; the frieze with angel heads from Diego de Sagredo's work titled “Medidas del Romano” (1526, Toledo); works of Diego de Siloé; Main Altarpiece of the Collegiate Church of Torrijos (Toledo), commissioned in 1558 by Juan Correa de Vivar and which presents fantastic winged animals similar to those of the present relief in some details; etc It is necessary to indicate that these decorative motifs will have a long tradition in Spanish Art. It is very possible that the present relief plaque was created to be part of an altar in a church although it is not decorated with a religious theme (note that the theme of the “winged heads”, often called “putti”, also comes from of Italy and is found in both civil and religious works).

· Size: 22x5x27 cms.