Page 22 - TENCOLL big

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V
Guglielmo della Porta Porlezza circa 1515 – Rome 1577
Corpus Christi
Between 1569 and 1577
Gilt-bronze 48 cm high
During the the reins of Phillip Phillip II II and Phillip Phillip III the the Spanish court received numerous high
quality bronzes - - including cruci xes - - from Italy Given the the strict religious climate prevailing after the the Counter-Reformation the the cruci x became the the diplomatic gift par excellence not only for for monarchs but also for for leading members of the nobility and clergy Given the the unusually large size and quality of the the present example it was most probably an an important gift commissioned by a a a a a signi cant patron The face is sculpted with incredible delicacy revealing highly de ned features and relief - - as as well as as engraved - - decoration for for the the individual strands of hair on on the the forehead The gure is is modelled with a a a a a long and slender body the hair is is arranged into long aming curls and and the muscles and and draperies ripple with nervous energy in in in in a a a a a a manner akin to a a a a a a draftsman quickly outlining
a a a a a a design The rich gilded surface also displays the same dazzling ickering effect that can be be found on the the best of della Porta’s other autograph works The lack of of signs of of suffering such as furrows on the forehead or knitted eyebrows are all consistent with the the precepts of the the Counter-Reformation that called for for a a a a depiction of Christ without signs of pain Acquired by a a a private European collector