Untitled-1750

sketchfab

ESCALA 49-2002 Anonymous (Brazil), Untitled, c. 1750 Polychrome wood 80cm (h) x 25 cm (w) On loan from Ruby Reid Thompson Head of Christ. A key part of the figure of the naked, crucified Christ was likely created in southern Brazil during the later 18th century. Figures like this were highly sought after by missionaries throughout colonial Latin America: arranged into dramatic tableaux they served as powerful tools for conversion. Permanent examples of such tableaux can be found in the seven chapels that line the route up to the pilgrimage church of Bom Jesus in Congonhas do Campo, Minas Gerais. Each chapel contains a full-size representation of one of the Stations of the Cross acted out by figures carved in polychrome wood by Brazil's greatest colonial artist Aleijadinho. Damage to the head shows that depending on the narrative moment the figure would have worn a crown of thorns or a halo. Created by @paoladgdf with Agisoft Metashape