Attributed to Manuel Chili “Caspicara” (Quito, Ecuador, 1723 – 1796) “Christ Crucified” Carved and polychromed wood sculpture. 41 x 34 cm. Important devotional sculpture belonging to the sphere of the celebrated Quito School of the 18th century, attributed to Manuel Chili, known as “Caspicara,” considered one of the greatest sculptors in all of viceregal America and the culminating figure of Ecuadorian Baroque art. The work depicts Christ crucified in the moments before death, rendered with profound humanity and intense spirituality. The anatomy is conceived with remarkable naturalism: the slender torso, the gentle torsion of the body, and the tension of the outstretched arms create a composition of extraordinary emotional expressiveness and technical refinement. The face, raised toward heaven with half-open eyes and an expression of restrained suffering, concentrates the full dramatic intensity of the scene. Particularly significant is the quality of the polychromy, a defining characteristic of the Quito School. The delicate ivory-like flesh tones, the subtle sanguine transparencies, and the meticulous treatment of the wounds and trickles of blood demonstrate the extraordinary technical virtuosity achieved by Ecuadorian workshops during the 18th century. The polished surface of the skin, almost porcelain-like in appearance, contrasts with the expressiveness of the wounds and with the deeply detailed carving of the beard and hair. The sculpture presents clear affinities with Caspicara’s artistic language, particularly in the refined anatomical idealization, the spiritualization of suffering, and the dynamic elegance of the figure. Unlike the harsher drama found in other Hispanic Baroque schools, the Quito School developed a deeply emotional and delicate visual language in which naturalism is combined with remarkable formal beauty and mystical sensibility. Manuel Chili “Caspicara” was one of the great Indigenous masters of colonial American sculpture and achieved considerable renown during his lifetime. His works were admired by chroniclers and travelers for their extraordinary ability to endow polychromed wood with an almost living presence. His production reveals a synthesis between European Baroque tradition and the distinctly American sensibility of the Royal Audience of Quito, one of the principal artistic centers of the Hispanic world during the 18th century. The small scale of the present work further suggests a possible function for private or conventual devotion, intended for intimate contemplation and spiritual meditation upon the Passion of Christ. It is precisely this intimate and emotional dimension that intensifies the expressive power of the sculpture and reinforces its extraordinary devotional presence. Through its artistic quality, technical refinement, and notable stylistic proximity to the production of Manuel Chili “Caspicara,” this sculpture constitutes a magnificent example of the sophistication achieved by the Quito School and of the spiritual intensity of 18th-century Hispanic American Baroque art.