The transparent marble of veiled statues

If you have read some of my previous articles, it will be clear to you how my artistic preferences lean towards modern, unusual and abstract forms. I do not like Classic Art, Realism or Sacred Art. Sometimes, however, we find ourselves in front of works whose beauty goes beyond the subject represented, works whose difficulty in realization and the consequent ability of the artist, make us really think of something incredible. Faced with such exceptionality we must necessarily stop to admire the realization, even if only of a detail, completely kidnapped and fascinated.

I recently "suffered" this effect when I saw this sculpture:

This is the Veiled Virgin, sculpted by Giovanni Strazza in 1854, and now housed in the Presentation Sisters convent in the town of Saint John's, Newfoundland, Canada.

I'm used to seeing fabrics carved in marble, robes, cloaks, or even the hair of the subjects depicted, all of which are examples of "soft" and fluid objects that sculptors manage to replicate with stone. But here, in my opinion, we are looking at something much more complex. In this statue the fabric is so thin, a veil in fact, that it lets the entire figure it covers shine through, it is visible only in the folds that alter the features of the Virgin's face, it is as if it were transparent.

To think that it is all obtained from a single block of stone is shocking to me, think what depth of idea the author must have had when he began to carve the stone, having to make emerge from the initial block not only a veil, but also the figure that is underneath.

Veiled sculptures had their highest expression between the 18th and 19th century, the most famous example is certainly The Veiled Christ by Giuseppe Sanmartino, made in 1753 and kept in the Sansevero Chapel in Naples. In the same place it is possible to admire another masterpiece of this genre: La Pudicizia velata (Veiled Modesty), by Antonio Corradini, a true master of this technique, author also of the Dama velata (Veiled Lady) and the Vestale Tuccia (Vestal Tuccia), other examples of veils made impalpable by an uncommon mastery.

From left: a detail of Veiled Christ, Vestale Tuccia, La Pudicizia velata

Not only dated works: in 2019 in fact, the sculptor Jago (Jacopo Cardillo) created the work Figlio velato, inspired by the Christ of Sanmartino, portrays a child covered by the veil, has become today a symbol of hope and rebirth. Realized in New York, it is currently in Naples, in the church of San Severo fuori le mura, in the Sanità district.

In all these works the marble becomes a very thin and light veil, can we go further? Perhaps yes, it is the case of the work Disinganno by Francesco Queirolo, where the marble is even transformed into a twisted net, symbolizing sin, from which the protagonist escapes. This too is located in the Sansevero Chapel in Naples, which is therefore a must to be place, to be charmed by these unique statues.

As you can see, no matter how far removed from personal taste, art always manages to excite and impress, and teaches us to always be attentive and curious observers.