26
Castilian school. Second quarter of the 17th century.
1/5
Description
Castilian school. Second quarter of the 17th century.
"Reliquary bust of San Marceliano".
The Council of Trent (1545-1563) made a clear decision to promote the worship of martyr saints as a reaffirmation of the dogma of faith in the Communion of Saints, a doctrine which also affected the veneration of relics and images of them. It was defined in the 25th session of the Council, held during the year 1563, which led to the rejection of Protestant teaching on this point. Officially it was established that bishops should instruct the faithful: “Also, that the holy bodies of holy martyrs, and of others now living with Christ,-which bodies were the living members of Christ, and the temple of the Holy Ghost, and which are by Him to be raised unto eternal life, and to be glorified,--are to be venerated … through which many benefits are bestowed by God on men; so that they who affirm that veneration and honour are not due to the relics of saints… are wholly to be condemned …by the decrees of Councils, and especially of the second Synod of Nicaea… defined against the opponents of images.”
At the same time, on the other hand, provisions were adopted to avoid doctrinal errors and abuses of practices: "Moreover, in the invocation of saints, the veneration of relics, and the sacred use of images, every superstition shall be removed, all filthy lucre be abolished… And that these things may be the more faithfully observed, the holy Synod ordains...[that no] new relics [be] recognised, unless the said bishop has taken cognizance and approved thereof "
The bust we present is an exceptionally unique piece due to its colossal size, which may indicate that it presided over a reliquary altarpiece. It is a speaking reliquary bust dedicated to the martyr Saint Marcellian, as indicated by an inscription located on the interior part of the pedestal: "CORPVS S. MARCELLIANI MARTYRIS." Saint Marcellinus, whose story is always linked to that of his twin brother Saint Marcellus, was a deacon venerated as a saint who suffered martyrdom during the persecutions against Christians ordered by Emperor Diocletian. Both were martyred in a forest, and their remains were buried on the Via Ardeatina, near the Domitilla Catacombs.
The bust, resting on a rectangular double-height pedestal decorated with rosettes in its middle part, has a monumental character, presenting the saint from just below the waist, allowing the cord that tightens his tunic around the waist to be observed. It has an oval-shaped head slightly inclined to the right. The face has a somewhat indifferent expression, with almond-shaped eyes fixed on the infinite, a strong nose with noticeably flared nostrils, a closed mouth composed of fleshy, tight lips, and a slight double chin. The saint has long classical-looking and symmetrically styled hair, with numerous wavy locks falling on both sides of the face and at the back, ending in coils. The anonymous sculptor has meticulously carved each of these locks.
On the chest, there is an oval-shaped shrine surrounded by golden rays and closed within a glass panel - the original one placed when the piece was crafted - which would have protected the relics ex ossibus housed inside and belonging to the depicted saint. Inside, painted on the background, we see another oval shape emitting alternating curved and straight golden rays. This motif may have had a purely decorative function, although it cannot be ruled out that it contained the relic or relics for which the reliquary bust was made.
The saint raises his right hand, between the fingers of which, as mentioned earlier, he would have held an attribute or perhaps a martyr's palm, which unfortunately has been lost, while the other hand is brought to his mantle, as if wanting to gather it while extending his index finger.
The other hand is directed towards the mantle, as if wanting to pick it up while having the index finger extended. The bust is dressed in very ornate clothing, thereby seeming to denote a person of noble class. The clothing includes a red tunic, with a turned down neck, decorated with delicate estofado technique of golden plant motifs, and a mantle that covers the left part of the body, both shoulder and arm, although the hand emerges, and also the lower part of the waist. This garment is in ochre tones and is decorated with fine geometric and vegetation work in different colours.
Due to the technical characteristics of the piece, which is of remarkable quality and in a rather good state of preservation, in addition to the original glass, it seems that this could be a sculpture carved by an anonymous Castilian master who kept an open workshop throughout the second quarter of the seventeenth century, and probably carved it towards the beginning of the that period.
We would like to thank Javier Baladrón, doctor in History of Art, for cataloguing this piece.
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Castilian school. Second quarter of the 17th century.
"Reliquary bust of San Marceliano".
The Council of Trent (1545-1563) made a clear decision to promote the worship of martyr saints as a reaffirmation of the dogma of faith in the Communion of Saints, a doctrine which also affected the veneration of relics and images of them. It was defined in the 25th session of the Council, held during the year 1563, which led to the rejection of Protestant teaching on this point. Officially it was established that bishops should instruct the faithful: “Also, that the holy bodies of holy martyrs, and of others now living with Christ,-which bodies were the living members of Christ, and the temple of the Holy Ghost, and which are by Him to be raised unto eternal life, and to be glorified,--are to be venerated … through which many benefits are bestowed by God on men; so that they who affirm that veneration and honour are not due to the relics of saints… are wholly to be condemned …by the decrees of Councils, and especially of the second Synod of Nicaea… defined against the opponents of images.”
At the same time, on the other hand, provisions were adopted to avoid doctrinal errors and abuses of practices: "Moreover, in the invocation of saints, the veneration of relics, and the sacred use of images, every superstition shall be removed, all filthy lucre be abolished… And that these things may be the more faithfully observed, the holy Synod ordains...[that no] new relics [be] recognised, unless the said bishop has taken cognizance and approved thereof "
The bust we present is an exceptionally unique piece due to its colossal size, which may indicate that it presided over a reliquary altarpiece. It is a speaking reliquary bust dedicated to the martyr Saint Marcellian, as indicated by an inscription located on the interior part of the pedestal: "CORPVS S. MARCELLIANI MARTYRIS." Saint Marcellinus, whose story is always linked to that of his twin brother Saint Marcellus, was a deacon venerated as a saint who suffered martyrdom during the persecutions against Christians ordered by Emperor Diocletian. Both were martyred in a forest, and their remains were buried on the Via Ardeatina, near the Domitilla Catacombs.
The bust, resting on a rectangular double-height pedestal decorated with rosettes in its middle part, has a monumental character, presenting the saint from just below the waist, allowing the cord that tightens his tunic around the waist to be observed. It has an oval-shaped head slightly inclined to the right. The face has a somewhat indifferent expression, with almond-shaped eyes fixed on the infinite, a strong nose with noticeably flared nostrils, a closed mouth composed of fleshy, tight lips, and a slight double chin. The saint has long classical-looking and symmetrically styled hair, with numerous wavy locks falling on both sides of the face and at the back, ending in coils. The anonymous sculptor has meticulously carved each of these locks.
On the chest, there is an oval-shaped shrine surrounded by golden rays and closed within a glass panel - the original one placed when the piece was crafted - which would have protected the relics ex ossibus housed inside and belonging to the depicted saint. Inside, painted on the background, we see another oval shape emitting alternating curved and straight golden rays. This motif may have had a purely decorative function, although it cannot be ruled out that it contained the relic or relics for which the reliquary bust was made.
The saint raises his right hand, between the fingers of which, as mentioned earlier, he would have held an attribute or perhaps a martyr's palm, which unfortunately has been lost, while the other hand is brought to his mantle, as if wanting to gather it while extending his index finger.
The other hand is directed towards the mantle, as if wanting to pick it up while having the index finger extended. The bust is dressed in very ornate clothing, thereby seeming to denote a person of noble class. The clothing includes a red tunic, with a turned down neck, decorated with delicate estofado technique of golden plant motifs, and a mantle that covers the left part of the body, both shoulder and arm, although the hand emerges, and also the lower part of the waist. This garment is in ochre tones and is decorated with fine geometric and vegetation work in different colours.
Due to the technical characteristics of the piece, which is of remarkable quality and in a rather good state of preservation, in addition to the original glass, it seems that this could be a sculpture carved by an anonymous Castilian master who kept an open workshop throughout the second quarter of the seventeenth century, and probably carved it towards the beginning of the that period.
We would like to thank Javier Baladrón, doctor in History of Art, for cataloguing this piece.
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