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48 - Attributed to Bernardo Legarda (Quito, circa 1700 – 1773)

Estimate €6,000 - €10,000
Sale commission
Description
Attributed to Bernardo Legarda (Quito, circa 1700 – 1773) "Virgin Expectant, also known as Our Lady of Hope or Our Lady of Expectation" Carved, polychromed, gilded and estofado-decorated wood sculpture. 138 x 79 x 45 cm. A magnificent example of this Marian representation, depicting Mary in an advanced stage of pregnancy, as evidenced by her pronounced belly. Standing in a frontal position, she opens her arms to reveal, in all his splendour, the fruit of her womb, the Saviour. With a radiant and gentle expression, the sculptor succeeds in conveying the emotion of the moment. She wears a tunic that is slightly gathered beneath her breast with a characteristic bow, while a beautiful mantle falls from her shoulders, fastened at the centre with a small angel’s head resembling a piece of goldsmith’s work. Based on its formal characteristics, which can be compared with other images carved by Legarda, we attribute our sculpture to the hand of this master. Particularly noteworthy is the sculptural quality of the hands and facial features, with almond-shaped eyes and heavy eyelids, and a small mouth. The polychromy and estofado decoration, featuring carnations and vegetal motifs, also deserve special mention. Bernardo Legada, an enormously talented sculptor and painter, stands out as one of the most important artists of the Viceroyalty of Ecuador. The magnitude, variety and aesthetic quality of his work is unparalleled in the entire viceregal period. Legarda, while consolidating the validity of the Quito School as a differentiated style, is a pioneer in the vision of the artist as an individual. The Quito School fused European techniques with Andean elements and, with a technical virtuosity that is difficult to match, became the most refined expression of the American Baroque. It anticipated, in its techniques, dramatic intensity, and use of color, artistic movements that would later captivate Europe through the work of Rembrandt, Goya, and Van Gogh. It also achieved great renown at the Spanish court and in other viceregal cities. When we speak of Legarda, we usually think only of his free-standing sculptures, but this Master is perhaps one of the few artists of the South American region who inherited the multidisciplinary versatility of the first artists who arrived or developed in Latin America, as was the master Bernardo Bitti, one of the three pillars of viceregal art in South America at the end of the XVI century. He was an outstanding and fine sculptor, prolific image maker, skilled painter, painstaking gilder, silversmith and mirror maker.His workshop, large and prosperous, located near San Francisco, was a centre of great activity. There is a large number of artworks by the master Bernardo de Legarda in the different churches in the capital of Ecuador that attest to his genius. Amongst his most important artworks is the main altarpiece of the Church of La Merced in Quito, as well as the altarpiece of the Temple of the Jesuits. He is also remembered for his celebrated Virgin of the Apocalypse, or Virgin of Quito, carved in 1734 for the main church of the Convent of San Francisco in the capital of the Royal Audiencia of Quito, present-day Ecuador. Our piece bears similarities to this work, particularly in the eyebrows, the mouth, and the delicate hands.
About the sale Objets d'art. L'art de l'objet
Auction location
Auction time 10/01/2026 at 7:00 PM
Lot description modified on 09/14/2026 at 7:25 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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