A PARCEL-GILT POLYCHROME CARVED WOOD RECTANGULAR RELIEF OF THE VISION OF ST. ILDEPHONSUS

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THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN

A PARCEL-GILT POLYCHROME CARVED WOOD RECTANGULAR RELIEF OF THE VISION OF ST. ILDEPHONSUS

SPANISH, SECOND HALF 17TH CENTURY

Details

A PARCEL-GILT POLYCHROME CARVED WOOD RECTANGULAR RELIEF OF THE VISION OF ST. ILDEPHONSUS
SPANISH, SECOND HALF 17TH CENTURY
The saint kneeling at lower right, prostrating himself before a vision of the Virgin holding a chasuble, numerous angels in attendance; all in a classical architectural setting; in a giltwood frame; losses; the surface distressed
82 x 52 in. (208.3 x 132.1 cm.)

Provenance

Purchased by the father of the vendor in the early 20th century, and thence by descent.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

St. Ildephonsus (607-667AD, also known as Ildefonsus or Alphonso) was from a Spanish noble family which counted among its members St. Eugene of Toledo, his uncle. He entered the nearby monastery at Agalia and became the abbott there by the age of 33. In 657 he succeeded his uncle as archbishop of Toledo.

Ildephonsus was particularly devoted to the cult of the Virgin, and when sitting in his bishop's throne one day he had a vision that she presented him with a chasuble made of heavenly tissue. The present relief conveys the dream-like quality of the saint's vision with remarkable originality through the swirling composition, the varying scales of the figures, and the dramatic diagonal axis of the chasuble itself. St. Ildephonsus continues to be venerated in Spain, and especially Toledo, and the present relief may well have adorned the central position of an altarpiece in that city.

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