Title

Christ Child

Anonimous

Generic classification

Object

Date

Century

Cultural context / style

Dimensions

Material

Technique

Iconography / Theme

Provenance

Current location

Inventory Number in Current Collection

Object history

According to Siracusano and Tudisco (2012), this sculpture was created in Mechelen in the early 16th century. Flemish Infant Jesus figures became particularly popular in settings of private devotion, both in private homes and in monasteries, especially those of women. Their spread is linked to the growing interest in individual devotion that spurred the veneration of the figure of the naked Infant Jesus throughout Europe. This trend fueled the demand for small-scale images intended for private oratories and religious communities. In women’s convents, it was customary for young women entering as novices to bring a Child Jesus with them or to receive a representation of this devotion as a gift. These objects were sold at fairs such as the one in Medina del Campo, as their small size, low cost, and ease of transport made them popular purchases. In the last quarter of the 16th century, noblewomen such as María de Prado and Catalina de Laguna made donations to the convent of Santa Isabel de El Espinar (Segovia). Perhaps the Child Jesus became part of the institution in that context.

The convent underwent numerous vicissitudes throughout its history: in 1808, it suffered the consequences of the French occupation, and in 1868, the nuns were once again expelled. This is how the convent’s assets, partly plundered by the inhabitants of El Espinar (Segovia), began to be dispersed (Sánchez, 2011). The piece was acquired in 1947 by Héctor Schenone at the convent itself (Siracusano and Tudisco, 2012). He was visiting Spain that year thanks to a scholarship he had received from the Department of Cultural Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Madrid. As he traveled throughout the country, he acquired a wide variety of works of art, such as the cruets and chalice from the Church of Santo Tomás Cantuariense (Salamanca) and the Virgin and Child from the Royal Monastery of San Quirce (Valladolid). Despite being“a man without financial means and still in his twenties”(Vega, 2026), he managed to acquire pieces of great artistic interest, such as this Infant Jesus. The carving traveled with him to Buenos Aires, becoming part of his private collection. In the 1960s, Schenone was appointed director of the Isaac Fernández Blanco Municipal Museum, an institution with which he entrusted his private collection, including this Infant Jesus.

Description

The workshops in Mechelen achieved a high degree of specialization in the field of religious sculpture. The works varied greatly in material and size; this Infant Jesus is made of polychrome and gilded wood. The infant is depicted as the Salvator Mundi, blessing with his right hand and holding a globe in his left, although the globe has not survived. Notable features include his curly hair, his face with small eyes, and his smile—all of which are typical of Flemish art.

Locations

• Early XVI^th c. - XX^th c.

  monastery

  Convent of Santa Isabel, El Espinar, El Espinar (Spain)

• 1947 - 2014

  private collection

  Héctor Schenone, Buenos Aires (Argentina) *

• 2014 - present

  museum

  Isaac Fernández Blanco Museum of Spanish-American Art, Buenos Aires (Argentina)