A Female Martyr Saint
Artist
Unknown
(Spanish (Andalusian) Sculptor)
Dateca. 1650
MediumPolychromed and gilded wood with glass eyes
DimensionsOVERALL (Includes integrated base of 5.25"): 78 1/2 × 40 × 24 in. (199.4 × 101.6 × 61 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineBequest of John Ringling, 1936
Object numberSN1545
Polychrome sculptures like this, made from carved, painted and gilded wood--often combined with other materials such as glass or hair--were especially prevalent in religious spaces in seventeenth-century Spain. Spanish sculptors in this period often produced highly naturalistic figures, in line with the Catholic Church's efforts to inspire emotion in the faithful. The young female saint represented here is identifiable only by the palm frond she holds, which is associated with martyrdom. Her painted glass eyes and rosy cheeks lend vivacity, as does her brilliantly gilded garment, animated by the same voracious Baroque energy of the paintings by Peter Paul Rubens and Workshop that surround her.
On View
On viewLocation
- Museum of Art, Gallery 02
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