The criterion of "polychrome correspondence" as a primary source for art history. The Virgin of the Rosary from Santibáñez de la Sierra, Salamanca

The Virgin of the Rosary of Santibañez of the mountain range of Salamanca is a devotional sculpture with historical interest in the cultural evolution of the village. With a Ghotic origin, it was modified substantially in Hispano-Flemish style and modified later to Baroque style during the XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries. The artistic study of the sculp-ture has been based on scientific analysis prior to the restoration because the work is un-derstood as an integral continuum to ensure the best interpretation and conservation of the piece. The restoration of the work has taken into account the materiality of the object, as a primary source for history and art, and the immaterial value, an aspect that is not usually considered and which is the starting point for the application of the criterion of correspondence of polychromes for the conservation of their religious value.