ECUADORIAN, QUITO SCHOOL, 18TH CENTURY
The Immaculate Virgin
Polychrome wood
23 ½ inches tall
26 ¾ inches tall with silver crown
28 ½ inches tall with base
Provenance:
Private Collection, Uruguay.
Of all Spanish colonial polychrome sculpture, Ecuadorian is the most prized. This remarkable depiction of the Immaculate Virgin—masterfully carved in the round, with boldly executed folds and pleats in her billowing mantle—is a prime example of the sculpture of the Quito school. The Virgin is set on a half-moon supported by a cloud and winged putti—the traditional attributes of this iconographic type. She stands in a subtle contrapposto with her hands folded in prayer and her lips just slightly parted, as if she was speaking. The carving of the hair and application of the polychromy on the fabrics, decorated with complex floral designs and beautiful golden geometrical patterns, is of particularly exceptional quality. This gold decoration is achieved by a technique known as estofado—frequently employed by the sculptors in Quito—in which the sculpted wood was first covered by a layer of gold leaf and then a thin layer of oil paint was applied. Very fine lines were next incised into the paint, which revealed the underlying gold layer.
The Virgin was a favorite theme of the sculptors in Quito during the 17th and 18th centuries. Devotion to the Virgin was particularly strong in the Viceroyalty, and there was a great demand for both painted and sculpted images for both private and public worship. The type of the Immaculate Virgin first flourished in the 17th century, particularly in Spain. Although depictions of Virgin in this guise predate this period, the specific iconography was codified by the Spanish painter and writer Francisco Pacheco (1564-1644) in his treatise on the art of painting (1649). The features of the Immaculate Virgin are essentially those of the Woman of the Apocalypse described in the Bible: “A great appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Apocalypse 12:1). Pacheco also specified that the Immaculate Virgin should be represented as a young girl of twelve or thirteen years old with a white dress, blue mantle, and hands joined in prayer; and that the moon should be a crescent moon (a symbol of chastity).
The Immaculate Virgin here follows Pacheco’s prescribed type to the letter. In addition to having a youthful face and standing atop a thin crescent moon, the Virgin wears a precious silver crown, as described in Apocalypse. Due to its size, this work was likely commissioned for a private chapel. Marian sculptures of this kind were in great demand in the 18th century in Quito, particularly those by Bernardo de Legarda, the premier sculptor in Quito and one of the greatest exponents of the Ecuadorian Baroque style. Legarda and his large workshop supplied works for the walls and altars of the cloisters, convents, churches, and homes of private patrons throughout Quito. He specialized in depictions of the Assumption and The Immaculate Virgin, much like the present work, and was patronized by both private citizens and religious institutions in his native city—particularly the Franciscan convent located opposite his bustling studio. His most famous work is a Virgin of the Apocalypse for the cathedral of his native city, known “The Virgin of Quito.”
Alejandro de Antuñano Maurer has proposed an attribution of the present sculpture to Bernardo de Legarda himself (written communication, December 2019), and certainly our Immaculate Virgin is closely comparable to his work is in its general style, refined polychromy, porcelain-like face, and radically windswept garments. However, the lack of documentation concerning Legarda’s career, his workshop practice, and that of his contemporaries requires the broader designation that we have given the work.
