Relief
ca. 1530 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This piece representing the Pieta has certain distinctive characteristics: the city rising up behind, blocking out any sky, the strange plants growing on the rocky ground, almost certainly with symbolic intent, and the finely carved head of Christ, with his hair flowing upwards over the Virgin's supporting hand. There are four known other versions of this relief, and this suggests that a workshop, probably specialising in alabaster, was producing a number of similar pieces relatively cheaply. It is known that certainly during the 15th century Spanish alabasters were being exported to Germany. A precise attribution is not possible, but like the others this relief probably dates from around 1530, although it is reminiscent of a slightly earlier style; it is likely to have been made in Castile.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved alabaster |
| Brief description | Pieta; Alabaster Spanish Castile about 1530. |
| Physical description | The Virgin sits at the foot of the cross with Christ's body laid across her knees. She cradles his head in a cloth held in her right hand. A ladder leans against the cross on the left, and the crown of thorns is placed over the cross; above is the cartouche faintly inscribed INRI, and two nails on the cross-beam are visible. The stigmata are visible on Christ's left hand and foot. Behind is the walled city of Jerusalem. On the rocky ground are three small trees or shrubs, perhaps an acanthus, an oak and an artichoke. Broken into three pieces and the two repaired breaks are visible. The lower left corner of the relief is missing, and only fragments remain of the integral border. The Virgin's left arm is lost, as is Christ's right arm and his right leg. |
| Dimensions |
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| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This piece representing the Pieta has certain distinctive characteristics: the city rising up behind, blocking out any sky, the strange plants growing on the rocky ground, almost certainly with symbolic intent, and the finely carved head of Christ, with his hair flowing upwards over the Virgin's supporting hand. There are four known other versions of this relief, and this suggests that a workshop, probably specialising in alabaster, was producing a number of similar pieces relatively cheaply. It is known that certainly during the 15th century Spanish alabasters were being exported to Germany. A precise attribution is not possible, but like the others this relief probably dates from around 1530, although it is reminiscent of a slightly earlier style; it is likely to have been made in Castile. |
| Bibliographic reference | Trusted, Marjorie. Spanish Sculpture : Catalogue of the Post-Medieval Spanish Sculpture in Wood, Terracotta, Alabaster, Marble, Stone, Lead and Jet in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996. pp. 37-38. cat. no. 10. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.185-1919 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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