Hand in Hand: Sculpture and Colour in the Spanish Golden Age

This richly illustrated catalog accompanies the exhibition Hand in Hand: Sculpture and Colour in the Spanish Golden Age at the Museo del Prado. It explores the dynamic collaboration between sculptors and painters in Spain during the Renaissance and Baroque periods when color and form were inseparable in the pursuit of lifelike, emotionally powerful religious imagery.

Through a selection of around 100 works – including sculptures, paintings, and prints – the catalog reveals how polychromy (the art of painting sculptures) transformed devotional figures into vivid, persuasive embodiments of the sacred. Far from being mere decoration, color was essential to the message and emotional impact of these artworks, enhancing their theatrical power in processions and public worship.

The volume highlights how artists in the Hispanic world overcame the traditional rivalry between painting and sculpture, achieving a seamless integration of the two and reaffirming the vital role of three-dimensional art in spiritual experience.

A must-have for anyone interested in Spanish Baroque art, religious imagery, and the emotional language of color and form.