Small maternity

Except for the two virgins with child from earlier dates (one of them the Virgin, ca. 1894, which begins this catalogue), this is Gargallo's first sculpture dedicated to motherhood, although some drawings from his formative period are preserved. whose theme is the same (although treated very differently), for example Mother with Children (note), ca. 1898, also cataloged here. In addition to this bas-relief, he left another larger bas-relief unfinished, Maternity, 1916, and he made three round maternities, dated 1922, 1927 and 1931, all three included in the collections of the Pablo Gargallo Museum.
Along with the slightly imprecise modeling in some details, which perhaps contributes to enhancing the tenderness of the image, the Mannerist features of the hands stand out, as stylized and sensitive as in Praying Angel, 1910-11, and Great Piety, 1916.