Nursing virgin in stucco, 18th century

early eighteenth century
Nursing virgin
Polychrome stucco, alt. 76 cm

The present Madonna is depicted breastfeeding the Child, therefore qualifying herself as Virgo lactans. The sweet inclination of the Virgin's face, tenderly turned towards her lively Son, generates an optical convexity that allows the entire sculpture to be appreciated as if it were enclosed in an oval. The skilful use of polychromy, alternating mainly in warm and dark colours, contributes to the profound expressiveness of this sculpture.
The use of stucco as a sculptural element had ancient origins, the first examples of this plasticising practice being recorded in the palaces of Umayyad Jericho; recovered in the Hellenistic context, in Rome stucco was mainly used as a basis for painted reliefs, which can be observed in the Casa della Farnesina and the Domus Aurea. Between the early Middle Ages and the early sixteenth century there was a stalemate in construction, which was soon filled by the widespread production of stucco statues within papal Rome.
The mixture was generally made by agglomerating finely chopped chalk and marble, mixed with lime and water. Subsequently, a layer of casein or isinglass was spread on the surface for the pictorial pigment. The stucco decoration in the full relief sculpture, in the high relief or in the quadrature with decorative scores thus substantiated the following centuries, becoming depopulated in the 18th century.

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