Alonso Del Arco (1635-1704), Circle Of - The Infant Jesus, Victor Over Sin And Death

Oil on canvas. Original canvas. The painting is in perfect condition, attesting to the purity of an original work from the finest period of the Spanish Baroque. The iconography of the Infant Jesus is one of the most moving and paradoxical expressions of the Spanish Baroque, where the tenderness of childhood is prematurely intertwined with the rigor of redemptive sacrifice. In these works, the Infant Jesus is not only the child of Bethlehem, but a prophetic prefiguration of the Redeemer, often depicted with an expression of serenity, holding or contemplating the Arma Christi. The crown of thorns, the nails, or the cross become his attributes, transforming the play of childhood into a theological meditation on the tragic and glorious destiny of the Incarnation. This theme is enriched by complex allegories of victory: the Child often appears triumphant over a skull or a serpent, symbolizing his definitive victory over death and original sin, thus emphasizing that, from his first breath, the Messiah has already begun his battle against the darkness of the world. Great masters of sculpture and painting have devoted significant works to this devotion, with the Sevillian and Granadan schools being the main centers of influence. Figures such as Juan Martínez Montañés, with his models of the Infant Jesus possessing perfect proportions and classical beauty, or Alonso Cano, who imbued these figures with a more lyrical and delicate spirituality, laid the foundations that other geniuses, such as Luisa Roldán "La Roldana," would follow, whose terracotta sculptures are distinguished by their almost mystical naturalism. In the realm of painting, artists such as Zurbarán and Murillo interpreted this theme in an atmosphere of profound contemplation, placing the Christ Child in symbolic landscapes or domestic interiors where the instruments of martyrdom acquire the status of sacred relics. Today, remarkable examples of this iconography are preserved in institutions such as the National Sculpture Museum of Valladolid, the Museum of Fine Arts of Seville, and numerous convents, where these images continue to fulfill their original function: to move the viewer through the representation of divine fragility. - Dimensions of the image without frame: 64.5 x 79.7 cm / 74 x 88.5 cm with a unique antique frame, likely the original, custom-made.