Bidspirit auction | Petit point painting with a

Petit point painting with a scene of Santiago Matamoros, Spanish School, 19th century - Wool embroidery on an open-weave fabric. The central scene depicts Saint James the Moor-Slayer mounted on a rearing steed, striking a heroic and energetic pose, brandishing a sword as he charges at defeated Moorish figures at his feet. The horse, captured in motion with vigorous diagonals, enhances the drama of the ensemble. The main figure is distinguished by his medieval-inspired attire and fringed hat, his face defined by schematic lines. The symmetrical arrangement of the ornamental frame, with precisely embroidered geometric motifs of Neo-Mudejar inspiration, frames the scene like a textile reliquary. The workmanship reveals remarkable technical mastery in chromatic gradation and shading, achieving effects of volume and depth through meticulous counted stitches. This type of embroidery is associated with nineteenth-century devotional practices in the bourgeois domestic sphere and reflects the survival of an iconography rooted in the Counter-Reformation, adapted to the visual languages ​​of popular art. Its meticulousness, narrative expressiveness, and symbolic value make it a significant piece within the devotional textile repertoire. Dimensions: 55 x 46 cm