Devotional sculpture depicting the Virgin Mary holding the ChildJesus as Salvator Mundi. Produced in the 17th century, it featurespolychrome decoration on tin-white enamelled ground. Standingin a frontal position, the Virgin reveals a serene gaze and hieraticposture, albeit exposing the right shoe tip as if suggesting subtlemovement.The white face exhibits simplified blue outlined featuresand large almond-shaped eyes of arched and accentuated brows, inidentical blue shade, that frame the glance. A straight nose of clearlydefined nostrils, and a small mouth of finely designed lips, endowthe image with serenity and solemnity. The hair, yellow of ferroushighlights resulting from a denser concentration of iron pigmentand consequent decrease of the characteristic lustre of antimonylead, frames the face and falls straight over the shoulders, reinforcingthe figure’s formal stiffness and markedly hieratic character.The Virgin Mary is attired in yellow brimmed blue cloak,punctuated by white stars, that part covers the yellowish robe ofgreenish nuances, resulting from the run-off of the neckband bluepigment, which is in turn adorned by ferrous pattern similar to the ferronerie scrolls characteristic of the Mannerist grottesche tradition.The figure’s left arm is outstretched, while the right is bent at theelbow to hold the seated Child Jesus. The white enamelled handsstand out for their blue outlined fingers and nails.The Child Jesus Salvator Mundi, also frontally positioned,is crowned and attired in an orange-coloured robe of identicaldecoration to that of His mother. He holds the globe in the lefthand, His attribute and symbol of the world, and raises the righthand in blessing.This type of sculpture is unusual in the generic context of17th century Portuguese faience. In Lisbon however, similar pieceswere indeed produced during the first half of the century. The bestknownexample (Fig. 1) belongs to the Museu Nacional de Soaresdos Reis collection, in Oporto (Inv. 315 CMP), and presents varioussimilarities to our sculpture, namely the iconographic features, theshape and colours of the body and garments, the tin-white pigmentof blue outlines, as well as the positioning and disproportionatesize of the hands. Its most significant variation nonetheless relatesto how it was conceived; while the sculpture from Oporto will havebeen produced for displaying in an alcove1—hence its undecoratedback—ours is decorated all around, its wrapping cloak forming atutto tondo sculpture to be admired from all sides. Such characteristicsuggests that it may have been destined to be carried on aprocessional float, thus facilitating its observation from all angleswhen in motion. The possibly higher-level positioning may alsojustify the disproportionate dimensions of hands and head, detailsthat, from a distance, would increase its visibility.
In addition to this sculpture, which the Museu Nacional deSoares dos Reis dates from the first-half of the 17th century,2 wemust also refer a Marian representation, published by Art HistorianAlexandre Pais, the only one of unequivocal dating, which is displayedin an alcove on the façade of the Church of Our Lady of Joyat Castelo de Vide (Fig. 2),3 in the Alentejo region. Depicting thechurch’s Patron Saint,4 the sculpture reveals a meticulous manufacture,comprising of various consolidated structural elements,previous to the applying of the painting on its surface, in a similarfashion to the image herewith described. It does also bear identicalhieratic posture and tin-white enamelled face of large blue outlinedeyes and arched brows. The blue cloak is equally hemmed in yellowwhile its, in this instance, plain robe, has a ferrous colour. Onits stand, the date 1639 is coherent with the temple construction.In addition to these faience sculptures, which range in sizefrom 50 to 70 cm, it must also be mentioned the Madonna imagefrom the Church of Mercy in Óbidos, which is also exhibited inan outer alcove. Its rigid and formal posture, the equally forwardright foot and the, albeit reduced, decorative colour palette, mostlycomprising of blue stars on the white robe and cloak, do reinforcethe stylistic analogies.5In spite of its particularities, the Portuguese productionof figural faience sculptures during this specific period, reflectsstrong influence from Italian majolica, as well as from Flemish andSpanish faience traditions.6 The closest example, to be found at the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, in Lisbon, is a figural sculpturedepicting The Virgin and Child, also known as Our Lady of Stars,originally from Lisbon’s Monastery of Saint Mary of Bethlehem (theHieronymites Monastery), in which our potter might have foundinspiration. Attributed to the Italian artist Andrea de la Robbia itwas, according to Friar Agostinho de Santa Maria (1642–1728), a giftfrom Pope Julius II to King Manuel I of Portugal.7 In this instance,the Virgin is depicted standing, holding the Child in Her arms anddressed in a blue cloak of scattered stars decoration.The arrival of Chinese porcelain to Portuguese ports hada decisive impact on the production of 17th century Portuguesefaience, namely in its adoption of the tin-white pigment, chalkyand opaque, which allows for decorating and glazing previous tofiring. Effectivelly, the trade in Chinese porcelain—up until thenunder Portuguese control—did boost significantly the developmentof national pottery, mainly in regard to ornamentation,evidencing the intensive use of cobalt-blue pigment on tin-whiteenamelled grounds.8The extant scarcity of these sculptures does most certainlyderive from human negligence through the centuries, as well asfrom the complexity of producing such pieces. These unique circumstances,allied to the balanced simplicity and symbolic depthof the Virgin and Child iconography, endows our sculpture with atruly unique character, highlighting it as a remarkable testimonyof artistic mastery.
Teresa Peralta
1 Pais, Alexandre Nobre da Silva, Fabricado no Reino Lusitano (...), Decorative Arts PHD Dissertation, Oporto, Universidade Católica, 2012, p. 301.
2 It is equally dated to the last quarter of the 16th century: Cf. Formas de Devoção (cat), Exhibition Lisbon, 17th august to 10th October 1999, Museu Nacional do Azulejo, p.16, cat. 1.
3 https://imovel.patrimoniocultural.gov.pt/detalhes.php?code=155626
4 Keil, Luís, Inventário Artístico de Portugal–Distrito de Portalegre, Lisbon: Academia Nacional de Belas Artes, 1943, p. 42; Apud Pais, Alexandre Nobre da Silva, Op. Cit, 2012, p. 302.
5 Idem, Ibidem, p. 308.
6 The settling of Italian ceramists in Antwerp transformed the city in one of the major centres for majolica production, whereas the migration of ceramists and potters from Flanders toPortugal and Spain, considerably intensified from the mid-16th century onwards, consolidated definitely the faience (majolica) production techniques in those countries. Cf.: Lisboa Na Origem da Chinoiserie–A Faiança Portuguesa do Século XVII (cat.), Lisbon, São Roque Antiguidades e Galeria de Arte, 2018 e 2024.
7 No Tempo das Feitorias–A Arte Portuguesa na Época dos Descobrimentos (Cat.), Lisbon, Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Vol. I, Junho a Dezembro de 1992, cat. 73, p. 282 e 283.
8 Cf.: Lisboa Na Origem da Chinoiserie–A Faiança Portuguesa do Século XVII (cat.).