Indo-Portuguese school, 17th century. "Crucified Christ". Carved ivory, polychrome and gilded details. Carved wooden cross. Attached CITES. Measuremen

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By Setdart Auction House

Oct 20, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-10-20 07:30:00 2021-10-20 07:30:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : OLD MASTERS https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/setdart-auction-house/old-masters-7700
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• Lot Description
  Indo-Portuguese school, 17th century. "Crucified Christ". Carved ivory, polychrome and gilded details. Carved wooden cross. Attached CITES. Measurements: 44 x 33 cm. figure. High quality ivory carving representing Christ crucified. In spite of his closed eyelids and tilted head, it is an expiring Christ, which is revealed in his body in tension. The half-open mouth exhales a last sigh. The characteristic way of carving the hair of the Indo-Portuguese school can be seen, consisting of curls in the shape of a snail, with linear incisions marking the direction of the hair. Also typical of this school are the almond-shaped eyes, the straight nose and the mouth with barely marked lips. The anatomy, however, follows directly the European models of the Baroque; it is a suffering anatomy, revealing Christ's physical exhaustion, worked with the naturalism typical of an art that seeks to make the faithful identify with the sacred scene depicted, to be moved by the Saviour's suffering. The veins in the arms, the sinews of the feet, the pronounced ribs and the perfectly modelled muscles reveal the quality of the carving. Through the trade routes that linked Europe, America and the Indies, various oriental products arrived in the Iberian Peninsula, most of them considered luxury items, among which ivory pieces stood out. Royal families, nobility and people of high social standing all desired exotic objects for their collections, and ivory carvings were among the most prized, both for the value and exoticism of the material itself and for the quality of the workmanship. These carvings also had a dual function. Firstly, they were precious and decorative objects, but they also had a didactic and evangelistic purpose, as carvings were made with Christian themes and iconography, using decorative motifs, elements and techniques typical of the Far East. Generally speaking, the missionaries commissioned local artists to make them, showing them European models to imitate. These types of pieces, intended for Portuguese clients, were made especially in Goa (India), which was also an important centre of furniture manufacture. The artists in that area had a long tradition of ivory sculpture, so the result was a synthesis of the local aesthetic heritage (emphasis on the textures of clothing and objects, the importance of animalistic representation, etc.), with Western iconography and taste.
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