Renaissance reliquary from the 16th century.
"Bust of the Virgin.
Carved, gilded and polychromed wood.
It lacks polychromy and ornamental elements on the right hand and on the chest.
Measurements: 64 x 42 x 28 cm.
Reliquary bust representing the Virgin. The carving follows naturalistic, slightly idealising patterns, which predominated in Renaissance art. The quality of the drapery and the wavy locks that frame the fine features of the face stand out. Numerous examples of this type of sculpture, the reliquary bust, are preserved in national collections throughout Europe, and it is a model that spread throughout Europe in the 15th and 17th centuries. This was encouraged by the great devotion to the relics of saints and martyrs. The saints and virgins carried a palm leaf in one hand (here it has been lost). The gilding of the clothing in contrast to the marble flesh tones is another of the frequent attributes of these devotional carvings. In the centre of the chest there is a cavity where the relics of the martyr were kept and displayed. The material and spiritual value of what these sculptural receptacles contained explains their quality and sumptuous appearance, both from an artistic point of view and in terms of the materials used. One of the most interesting and elaborate types of reliquary is precisely the one we present here: the reliquary bust. This type was very widespread in the Renaissance and Baroque periods because it allowed the image of the saint and the preserved relic to be brought together in a single liturgical object.