La recepción de crucificados ligeros novohispanos en Castilla y Leónnuevos ejemplos y perspectivas

Résumé

The important advances that have been undertaken within the study of New Spanish lightweight sculpture reveals its remarkable presence in the Spanish territory, which is evidenced by a rich and well-nourished catalogue of pieces. Now, given the more precise knowledge there is about its materiality and its origins, it is necessary to deepen certain specific aspects that can help define the importance of this artistic exchange in a more precise manner. This investigation focuses on the current autonomic region of Castile and Leon and it is part of a broader study concerning examples of New Spanish sculpture that are preserved there. These are mostly unpublished, and in general, lack a historiographical analysis that contextualizes works, support mediums and commissioners and explains their arrival from overseas, their devotional use and the repercussion that they had in the Castilian artistic arena. Hence, our main objective is to examine these issues through a selection of examples that clarify the importance of such works, as well as the high social and cultural rank of their owners, who belonged to the nobility and the Counter-Reformation ecclesiastical hierarchy. Despite the fact that they used to be symbolically activated and transformed into true instruments of power, the origin of these works has remained unknown until today. In fact, their remarkable expressionism has turned some of them into paradigms of a popular aesthetic that has been defined as Castilian, thus ignoring their Mexican origin.