Catalan Virgin Wood Sculpture, Capipota

Traditional religious plaster figure of a virgin. Made in traditional Catalan atelier in Olot, Spain, circa 1950. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use...

Traditional religious signed plaster figure of a saint in a wooden niche. Made in traditional Catalan atelier in Olot, Spain, circa 1950. In original condition, with minor wear...

Traditional religious plaster handpainted wall artwork. Made in traditional Catalan atelier in Olot, Spain, circa 1950. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with a...

Traditional religious handpainted plaster wall artwork. Made in traditional Catalan atelier in Olot, Spain, circa 1950. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age a...

This carved wood colorful sculpture is handmade & painted by an unknown puerto rican craftsman. The Virgen del Carmen is the patron saint of fisherma...

A most spectacular antique Spanish Colonial figure of Madonna, Mexico circa 19th century possibly earlier. Constructed in plaster with carved and gilt wood accent. Realistic in style...

Completely hand-crafted in 18th century Spain, this sculpture of the Virgin stands 1.5 meters / 5 feet tall and was most certainly created for devotional purposes, to be displayed in a church or chapel. Besides its impressive size this sculpture is an excellent, museum-quality example of the Spanish “Estofado” polychrome technique, developed during the Gothic period to imitate rich brocade fabrics. The finely carved “fabric” areas of the sculpture would be first covered in gesso, and then a layer of gold leaf would be applied. The gold leaf would then be painted over with various colors of tempera paints. Once dry, the painted surface would be incised or scratched away in patterns, revealing the gold beneath. The sculpture was professionally restored in 2022 by a firm that is often hired by the Spanish government to work on historic building interiors and museum pieces. The virgin was carefully cleaned, repaired and its condition stabilized. A complete and fully-illustrated restoration report will be included with purchase. Often confused with the virgin birth of Jesus, the belief that the Blessed Virgin Mary herself was conceived “immaculately” without original sin has been variously defended and debated within the Catholic Church since the pre-Middle Ages. For centuries, artists struggled to create an acceptable visual representation of this highly abstract concept, in part taking inspiration from the Book of Revelation and other scriptural sources. We see the Virgin standing on a half moon (biblically inspired, though also an ancient symbol of chastity) with her long natural hair loose down her back, another indication of purity. Both her white tunic and flowing blue mantle...

An 18th Century Baroque Style figure of the Pietà or the Virgin of Mercy, carved in polychrome wood. Our Lady appears seated on the throne with her head covered by a mantle, suppor...