Indo-Portuguese school, 17th century.
Torso of Christ praying.
Wood carving.
Measurements: 70 x 60 x 46 cm.
Wood carving from the Baroque period and the Indo-Portuguese school. This can be seen in the way the hair is worked, with symmetrical and schematic locks. The characteristic form of the Indo-Portuguese school can be seen in the characterisation of the countenance, with almond-shaped eyes, straight nose and thin lips. Baroque naturalism is balanced by the synthetic and incisive type of carving of the local school. The stylised features of Christ also correspond to models from Goa. The torso has been worked on the arms and head, but the hollowed-out trunk suggests that it must have been a processional type of dress piece. Various Eastern products reached the Iberian Peninsula via the trade routes that linked Europe, America and the Indies, while the carvings made in the colonies bore the stamp of European solutions but adapted to the local sculptural tradition.