FIGURE OF A BISHOP SAINT, POSSIBLY ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO

Probably Spanish or Southern Italian, circa late 17th century
Carved, gilt and polychromed wood

18 3/4" H x 5" W x 4 1/2" D

A very fine beautifully patinated devotional figure of a bishop saint, possibly St. Augustine of Hippo, carved in the round and richly finished in gold leaf and polychromy. The saint is shown in full episcopal vestments, wearing a mitre and cope, the right hand raised in a blessing while the left loosely grasps a crozier with an openwork ring head enclosing a small foliate motif. The face and drapery are modeled in a sober Baroque idiom characteristic of late-17th-century Spanish and southern Italian altarpiece sculpture.

Saint Augustine of Hippo (354–430)
Born in North Africa, Augustine was one of the most influential theologians and philosophers of early Christianity. Educated in rhetoric and classical philosophy, he converted to Christianity in 386 and was later ordained Bishop of Hippo Regius, present-day Algeria. His writings, most notably Confessions and The City of God, shaped Western Christian thought on grace, free will, and the nature of the soul. A leading voice among the Latin Fathers, Augustine is often portrayed in episcopal vestments, holding a book or heart, and with two fingers raised in blessing to signify the divine and human natures of Christ. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in the 13th century, and his teachings continue to underpin much of Christian theology and philosophy.

Condition: Worn patina with heavy rubbing through polychromy to reveal gesso layer and beyond to the wood layer. Craquelure and scattered flaking to polychromy and gilding; minor losses to extremities, including chip to his raised index finger and surrounding the base; old inactive worm damage; raised on a 20th century piece of wood applied to the underside.

ref. 509PXL13A