Spanish school; 17th century and later.
"Infant Jesus Salvator Mundi".
Carved and polychrome wood. Vitreous paste eyes.
Measurements: 40 x 19 x 5 cm; 10 x 24 x 17 cm (base).
Round sculpture representing Christ as a child as "Salvator Mundi", an iconography that represents the Christological concept of Jesus Christ, as universal saviour, in relation to his role as judge in the Final Judgement and his character as Redeemer. It is characterised by Christ raising his right hand in a sign of blessing, while holding an orb in his left hand (in the present piece, the ball of the world has not been preserved and the position of the hand indicates that it was not originally there). In our case, we are looking at a carving resolved in naturalistic language, a style ascribed to the Baroque tradition of Spanish imagery.
Given the importance given to religious images in the Hispanic world, during the 17th and 18th centuries ambitious pictorial series and extensive iconographic programmes were created for churches and convents, as well as printed prints, medals and reliquaries for private devotion. Taken as a whole, regardless of their size or medium, these images served the purpose of sacralising everyday life beyond the altars. The theme of the Immaculate Conception, which was very common in Spanish art from the 17th century onwards, became one of Spain's national symbols of identity as a Catholic country. It is one of the most genuinely local themes in Spanish Baroque painting, as Spain was the main defender of this mystery and the country that fought most insistently to make it a dogma of faith. In this context, numerous artists and intellectuals worked to construct a clear iconography that would help to spread the Immaculate Conception, bringing together symbolism and popular fervour. Based on the previous advances made by painters such as Juan de Juanes, it was Murillo who constructed the definitive image of the Immaculate Conception, finding a formula that allowed him to bring together all the necessary features in a single image.