ABOUT THE WORK

The child Jesus in his various manifestations was one of the most widely rendered iconographies in the catholic church’s pantheon of sacred images and the Niño Dormido or sleeping infant Jesus was particularly favored in many households as this image played a central role in the celebration of Christians. Among the well-to-do, ivory was a favored material for rendering images of worship, and this particular image of the sleeping infant Jesus is a very fine example of the superb astistry of local santo carvers. The Niño is very well-proportioned, is anatomically correct and complete and is masterfully carved. The face as a whole is that of a handsome infant in deep repose. The eyes, not completely shut, show thin slivers of visual orbs at rest. The nose is finely chiseled and the lips delicately but masculinely rendered. The ears, fingers, and toes are very finely and cleanly carved. Even the painted hair is rendered in extremely fine strokes of the brush across the wide forehead and sides of the face. The image is embellished by a simple silk diaper held in place by a wide cincture in gilt silver with embossed and chased floral renditions set with a sapphire in center. When the Suez Canal started operations in 1869, European goods became quickly accessible in the local marketplace. Among the things imported in quantity were blown glass jars or domes that came in varied shapes (round, oval, etc.) and sizes. In the Victorian setting of the late 19th century, these glass domes were used to encase decorative dry arrangements of artificial fruits and flowers as well as stuffed birds and small animals. The ingenious local santo makers however, found them to be ideal protective covers for the many fragile and delicate santo renditions they created and embellished with expensive textiles, embroidery, fibers for hair, and precious metals and stones. The virina for the Niño Dormido has a two-tiered oval base of ebonized wood on top of which are attached two rows of arching metal vines with embossed brass leaves and floral cutouts. Underneath this double arch is a long oval bottomless railing also of brass leaves to which a seven sided beveled mirror with a sand-blasted floral sprig is attached on its outermost side. The oval railing has been stuffed with a similar shaped red velvet-covered piece of foam to form creeping vines with nachre shell flowers and leaves loosely superimposed on the brass arches. The metal and cachre shell foliage framing the exquisite Niño Dormido gives a rich and pleasing effect to the tableaux.