Spanish Santos Figure - Mary Mother of God

Artist: Spanish School.
Title: Mary Mother of God.
Date: 17th Century or earlier.
Medium: Wood, polychrome paint and gilding.
Condition: Good, no breaks or repairs, wear and paint loss are all commensurate with age.
Provenance: Private Collection Sydney Australia

About: Santos (Spanish for saint) figure of Mary Mother of God is an early example. The use of gilt and ultramarine blue which was a pigment that was more expensive than gold at the time indicates that it was probably produced for a wealthy patron. This strongly suggests that the figures were made in Spain, as more plainer Santos figures were used to spread Christianity through Asia. They were distributed as the Spanish colonised other countries and established trade routes as well as to convert more primitive cultures to Catholicism.