Sale Pamono French School Artist, High Relief of Saint Barbara, 1500s-1600s, Oak

Polychrome carved wood with traces of gilding
64 x 32 cm.
(Good condition, with small losses and cracks, scattered retouching)

This wooden high relief, created between the 16th and 17th centuries, depicts Saint Barbara, elegantly dressed in a red dress covered by a gold-trimmed cloak and tied around her neck with a jeweled choker embellished with pearls, the same pearls we find in her hair to hold it back.

The Saint, portrayed full-length in a solemn pose, displays her iconographic attributes: in her left hand she holds the palm of martyrdom, then the sword, the weapon with which she was killed, and of course the tower where she was imprisoned, painted on the right, the most common and significant symbol.

The quality of the carving is very good, particularly the draping of the dress, which falls richly over the figure, enhancing its regal appearance and lending the work great value and character.

Regarding the provenance and style of the carving, we can place this high relief within the sculptural production of Northern France, where Spanish influences are present, with a language that, while still archaic, is imbued with expressive power and inspired by the principles of Italian Renaissance Mannerism.

It should be noted that the 16th century saw a dense network of cultural exchanges between France, Italy, and Spain; in particular, Italian artists arrived in France, called by aristocratic patrons due to the prestige now recognized in Renaissance art, especially Tuscan, but also Spanish.

In particular, the work’s stylistic models hark back to the sculpture that developed in the area between southern France and the Pyrenees and the Catalan region, an area where many master sculptors’ workshops were active.

The excellent state of preservation of the wooden support, with some defects and small losses of color, allows one to fully appreciate its quality, with traces of polychromy and gilding still visible.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The pair of works is sold with a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet.