Bidspirit auction | Luis de Morales ”The Divine”

Luis de Morales ”The Divine” (Badajoz, around 1510 - Alcántara?, Cáceres, 1586) - Our Lady of Sorrows - Oil on panel. Dimensions: 37 x 27 cm (unframed), 49 x 39 cm (framed). A report by Isabel Mateo Gómez, carried out in December 2022, is attached. This work recently came onto the market alongside a panel depicting Jesus Carrying the Cross. Both were carefully cleaned, allowing their original beauty to be restored and more confidently confirming their attribution to Luis de Morales. In this Our Lady of Sorrows, the delicate tears running down her face and her intertwined hands with pronounced nails, very similar to those Morales used to paint on penitent figures such as Saint Jerome, are striking. The image of the Virgin was a recurring theme for him, whether as a full figure on a Calvary or in a half-body format, integrated into triptychs alongside the Ecce Homo, such as those preserved in the Prado Museum or in Seville Cathedral. This type of small work was intended for private devotion, in intimate spaces such as oratories or bedrooms, and is reminiscent of Flemish models—such as those by Van der Weyden or Titian—designed to accompany the devotee even during their travels. Morales enjoyed the support of important patrons such as Saint John of Ribera, Fernando Afán of Ribera, and his friend Fray Luis de Granada, whose work ”The Prayer” intensely conveys the same feeling of sorrow and contemplation found in this painting. Provenance: Private collection, Madrid.