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Title

The Virgin Mary

sculptor

Vahía, Alejo de (Active in Castile: 1487-1510)

Generic classification
Sculpture
Object
Sculpture
Date
ca. 1495-1510
Century
Late 15th c.
Cultural context / style
Late Gothic
Material
Wood
Technique
Gilded, Polychrome
Iconography / Theme
Virgen
Provenance
Possible origin from Castile and Leon (Castilla y León, Possible origin from Castile and Leon, Spain)
Current location
The Auckland Project (Bishop Auckland, United Kingdom)
Object history

Originally thought to be a Hispano-Flemish piece, the carving has now been attributed to Alejo de Vahía. It is most likely that this sculpture would have been part of an altarpiece dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin or the Immaculate Conception (Trusted, 2024). Only the upper half of the body is preserved, with saw marks on the lower part. Therefore, as Trusted (2024) points out, part of the carving must have been cut around 1979, when the piece was sold.

Alejo de Vahía was a very prolific sculptor in Castile, mainly in Palencia and Valladolid, at the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century, which indicates that the piece must have been in present-day Castile and León. We do not know when it left Spain. The carving was sold as Hispano-Flemish on March 17, 1979 and went to a private collection in Munich. It was later auctioned in 1999 at Sotheby's in lot 59 (Trusted, 2024). It is possible that its buyer lived in Germany, since in July 2012 it was active again on the German art market. That same year it was acquired by Sam Fogg, moving the piece to London. In 2017 it was in the hands of Michael Craig-Martin, who donated it to The Zurbarán Trust in 2023 (Trusted, 2024). The sculpture is currently on display at The Auckland Project in Bishop Auckland (UK).

Description

Saw marks can be seen on the lower part of the sculpture, indicating that the piece was cut. Underneath the carving is a layer of resin that must have been applied in the 20th century. In 2017 Michael Craig-Martin added a metal support that acted as a base (Trusted, 2017). Both the polychromy and the gilding of the sculpture have been restored, but traces of the original gilding are still visible. It is possible that some colors of the clothing have undergone modifications, such as the brown bodice, which may have originally been blue. In the upper part of the Virgin's head there is a hole where, perhaps, a crown or a halo could have been (Trusted, 2024).

Locations
* The relative location of dealers, antique shops, art galleries, and collectors leads us to the places where they were based or had one of their main headquarters. However, this does not always indicate that every artwork that passed through their hands was physically located there. In the case of antique dealers and art merchants, their business often extended across multiple territories; sometimes they would purchase items at their origin and send them directly to clients. Similarly, some collectors owned multiple residences, sometimes in different countries, where they housed their collections. It is often difficult to determine exactly where a specific piece was kept during its time in their possession. Consequently, the main location of the dealer or collector is indicated. These factors should be considered when interpreting the map. Refer to the object's history in each case.
Bibliography
  • TRUSTED, Marjorie (2024): The Sculptural works in the Spanish Gallery, Spanish Gallery y Centro de Estudios Europa Hispánica, Madrid, pp. 46-51.
Citation:

Isabel Escalera Fernández, "The Virgin Mary" in Nostra et Mundi. Cultural Heritage from Castile and Leon around the world, Fundación Castilla y León, 2025. https://inventario.nostraetmundi.com/en/work/237

The Virgin Mary

Source: Trusted (2024): 47. The Auckland Project

Source: Trusted (2024): 47. The Auckland Project

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