Crown type glow; American viceregal work, Guatemala,... Lot 104

Crown type glow; American viceregal work, Guatemala, second half of the eighteenth century.

Gilded silver.

Measurements: 11 x 6 x 6,2 cm.

Weight: 106 gr.


This glowing crown, made in Guatemala during the second half of the 18th century, responds to a typology particularly widespread in viceregal sacred art: one that replaces the closed structure of the imperial crown with a ring from which luminous beams radiate. More than girding and covering, this piece frames and glorifies, becoming a visual extension of the halo and reinforcing the supernatural dimension of the Marian image.

The model of the radiance is closely linked to late Baroque spirituality, which sought to intensify the sensory and emotional impact of worship. The rays, straight or flaming, symbolize the divine light and the immaculate purity of Mary, while their radial arrangement generates a dynamic effect that transforms the sculpture into a luminous focus within the altarpiece. In the Central American context, these works reveal the expertise of local workshops in the handling of metals and the creation of complex openwork structures, often enriched with decorative applications.