Novo-Hispanic School; 17th century."Purísima Concepción with Santo Domingo de Guzmán, San Antonio

Novo-Hispanic School; 17th century.
"Purísima Concepción with Santo Domingo de Guzmán, San Antonio and San Francisco".
Oil on copper.
It has a frame of carved and gilded wood of the XVIIIth century, with jumps in the carving.
Measurements: 23 x 17,5 cm; 63 x 46 cm (frame).
This devotional work can be defined as a masterly piece due to the subject matter, the finish, the aesthetics and the details that take place in its reduced dimensions. The author conceives the space through a simple composition, with all the protagonists in the foreground, although located in a clearly divided space. In the upper area, the celestial plane, where the Virgin is the only one present. Dominating the scene, Mary emerges from a golden break of glory, which has been adorned with a golden filigree that harmonises with the brocade of her tunic. Advocation of the Immaculate Conception, the author has dispensed with the litanies, reflecting only the moon as a base, and the serpent representing original sin. This iconographic austerity gives greater importance to the figure of the Virgin, who stands out as the protagonist of the scene. In the earthly area, three saints share the scene: Saint Francis holding a flaming heart, Saint Dominic in the centre accompanied by a small dog and finally Saint Anthony holding the Child. It is worth mentioning that the work is framed in a later 18th-century frame. The frame is notable for its profuse carving, with an intricate ornamental pattern that ends in a large crown that dominates the carving of the frame in the manner of a crest.
As for the style of the painting, we can appreciate some archaic features for its time, such as the hieratic and frontal nature of the figure. However, the quality of Cotán's painting in the small details such as the details of the cloak show a certain relationship with the artist. Juan Sánchez Cotán worked in Toledo, where he had an important clientele, until 1603, when he entered the Carthusian monastery as a lay brother and settled in Granada. The bulk of his oeuvre from that time onwards consisted of paintings of religious subjects, particularly the very numerous ones he produced for the charterhouse in Granada, although he also produced portraits and landscapes. However, he is best known for his still lifes, especially since the exhibition "Floreros y bodegones en la pintura española" ("Vases and Still Lifes in Spanish Painting") was held in Madrid in 1935, which was a key event in the critical reappraisal of the Spanish still life and made Sánchez Cotán one of its cornerstones. Sánchez Cotán enjoyed a comfortable life in Toledo, commissioning religious paintings for churches as well as other minor works, such as painting the arms of the archbishop of Toledo on a cobbler's armoury. However, the documentation does not mention any disciples or assistants. It was also around this time that he produced the aforementioned copies of Venetian works, as well as some landscapes. His works of this period reveal a fully developed, refined and gentle style.