The Virgin Annunciate

This relief was given by the Parochial Church Council of Christ Church, Wolverhampton, in 1955. It was formerly in the south aisle of the church, and apparently previously in the collection of don Alberto Gongsley-Almen of Seville.

The vestiges of polychromy suggest that originally the figure came from an altarpiece; the channel at the back must have been used to attach it to a larger ensemble.

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The style of this piece recalls the reliefs on the choirstalls in Burgos Cathedral, which were executed by the workshop of Felipe Vigarny (active 1498-1542) in the early 16th century. Parallels can also be found in mid-sixteenth century work in Palencia, such as the high altarpiece at Boadilla del Camino (Palencia) by Juan de Cambray and others, and probably dating from the 1950s, and the work of Juan Ortiz el Viejo I (active 1518-before 1558), such as the high altarpiece of 1544 at S. Ginés at Villabrágima.