Page 109 - The mystery of faith

and pose and Risueño, in particular, achieved a variety and subtlety of expression in his versions of the
subject that, apart from those of Mora, were practically unparalleled in Granadine Baroque sculpture.
These works, most of which remain in Granada, express not only Mary’s suffering and loss as a mother,
but also her acceptance of her son’s fate, its true meaning, and the serenity eventually attained through
her love of mankind and hope for their salvation. This gamut of emotions can be seen in the half-length
Dolorosa in the Royal Chapel (Fig. 1), which is very similar to the version by José de Mora, and was
inspired by a canvas of the subject by Cano in Granada Cathedral. Another Dolorosa in the Casa de
los Pisa, belonging to the Confraternity of San Juan de Dios (Fig. 2), which is in polychromed
terracotta, was noted by Professor Emilio Orozco Díaz for having ‘overabundant drapery with
undulating folds, displaying a taste for the elaborate and dynamic’,3 a description that is particularly
applicable to the present work. Equally, in the Church of San Gil and Santa Ana is an imagen de vestir
in polychromed wood by Risueño, known as the ‘Virgen de la Esperanza’.

All of Risueño’s Dolorosas express intense sorrow and pathos in the faces, and the present work is no
exception, though here the sculptor has also employed the pose of the hands and arms to add emphasis.
In both the face and hands we find the slightly ochre, matt, flesh tones that are typical of the artist and
his naturalistic approach to the human form. In the raised right hand, the figure bears a dagger pointing
towards the chest, with the left hand spread in a gesture of supplication, as if reaching for an answer

Fig. 1 Fig. 2

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