Eucharistic chest; Spain; second half of the sixteenth century. Gilded and polychrome wood.

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DECORATIVE ARTS XV-XIX

By Setdart Auction House

Jul 13, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-07-13 07:00:00 2021-07-13 07:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : DECORATIVE ARTS XV-XIX https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/setdart-auction-house/decorative-arts-xv-xix-7201
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• Lot Description
  Eucharistic chest; Spain; second half of the sixteenth century. Gilded and polychrome wood. It presents restorations in the lid and key of later period. Measures: 24 x 7,5 x 20 cm. Chest of trapezoidal structure made of carved, gilded and polychrome wood. For its decorative motifs the piece is defined as a religious object, probably a Eucharistic chest, where to collect the bread and wine, assimilated as the body and blood of Christ. It is interesting the way the box is opened, since it does not have its lid in the upper zone, but the key that is in the main face, allows it to be opened, giving place to the interior. Regarding the decoration, the work is based on a golden design on which the figures are arranged on the main face and the two lateral ones. Except for the back of the box, where the artist has opted for a vegetal design in which red and gold are combined. The main motif of the chest is the representation of a Virgin of the Milk inscribed in a semicircular arch. The Virgin of the Milk or of the Good Milk, also known as Virgin of the Nourishing or Nurse, Virgin of the Rest or of the Good Rest, Virgin of Bethlehem or of the grotto of Bethlehem; it is an invocation and an iconography of the Virgin Mary, in which she is represented in the act of suckling the Baby Jesus. This representation has had various developments in sacred art, such as painting, sculpture and the particular iconography of the Orthodox Church.The representation of the Virgin suckling the baby Jesus is mentioned by Pope Gregory the Great, a mosaic with this representation probably dating from the twelfth century is found on the facade of the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, although a few other examples from the early Middle Ages still survive. It is considered that this invocation may be a syncretism of the mother-goddesses, in particular of the goddess Isis suckling Horus, and probably the earliest images appeared in Coptic art. The Milk Grotto is a place in Bethlehem, very close to the Basilica of the Nativity, where tradition says that the Virgin suckled the Child, and a drop spilled on a rock, which changed its color, becoming white. On the sides, we find the figure of two apostles, in one case St. Paul with his characteristic sword and on the other side St. Peter with the keys. St. Paul was a Hellenized Jew of the Diaspora, born in Tarsus. He was therefore Jewish by ethnicity, Greek by culture and Roman by nationality. He received the name Saul, which he changed to Paul after his conversion. Born at the beginning of the first century, he studied in Jerusalem with Rabbi Gamaliel, who was known for his hatred of Christians. One day, when around the year 35 he was on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus, he was dazzled by lightning and fell from his horse. Then he heard the voice of Jesus saying to him: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? As a result of this experience, the saint went abruptly from persecutor to zealot of Christianity. St. Peter (Bethsaida, c. 1 B.C. - Rome, 67) was, according to the New Testament, a fisherman, known for being one of Jesus' twelve apostles. The Catholic Church identifies him through the apostolic succession as the first Pope, based, among other arguments, on the words addressed to him by Jesus: "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the power of Death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." St. Peter could be said to have been Jesus' confessor, his closest disciple, both being united by a very special bond, as narrated in both the canonical and apocryphal Gospels.
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