Sculpture, Virgen Milagrosa - 70 cm - Polychrome wood

This statue of the Miraculous Virgin, made of polychromed wood and datable to the late 19th century, fits fully within the tradition of the Basque school, one of the most recognizable within the popular imagery of the northern Iberian Peninsula. Its presence conveys that blend of naivety, devotion, and symbolic strength that characterized images intended for rural hermitages, farmhouses, and small family shrines.

The figure shows the typical features of these Basque Virgins: a serene face, with rounded features, and a contained expression that seeks emotional closeness rather than drama; a frontal, stable posture, designed to be viewed from a certain distance; and a treatment of the mantle folds that blends simplicity with an almost geometric rhythm, typical of popular workshops. The use of red and blue in the polychromy responds to traditional iconography, but also to the local taste for vivid and direct colors, applied with tempera and varnishes that today reveal the natural wear of time.

The gesture of open arms and the presence of the serpent beneath her feet reinforce the devotional reading: the Virgin as protector, intercessor, and vanquisher of evil, a message especially valued in rural settings where these images accompanied daily life and the festivities of the religious calendar.

The polychromy, although worn in some areas, preserves its original charm: ancient glazes, fine craquelure, and small losses that speak of centuries of veneration. The wood, likewise, shows the patina typical of carvings that have inhabited humble but well-kept spaces.

Overall, it is a piece that perfectly sums up the spirit of Basque folk imagery: approachable, sincere, deeply rooted in tradition and charged with a simple yet intense spirituality. A carving that not only represents the Virgin but also the memory of the domestic religiosity of its time.

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