17th C, Baroque, Saint, Italian School, Wooden Sculpture of Saint Anthony

The impressive life-size statue of St. Anthony (Lisbon, 1195 – Padua, 1231) used to be probably in a church or monastery of the mendicant order of the Franciscans. You can immediately recognize a Franciscan monk by his brown habit, brown hooded cloak and the cord with knots around his waist. The cord does not only serve a utility function to keep the habit together. Each of the three knots in the rope symbolizes a monastic vow: chastity, obedience and poverty. The vow of poverty is also the reason why the Franciscans live barefoot. The depiction of the saint with the Christ child on his arm goes back to a miracle. When Anthony was meditating over a book about Christ’s cross, suddenly, the child appeared above his manuscript. The play of the saint’s resting and supporting leg provides a bit of liveliness. The movement of the cloak hanging over the arm and the deep-hanging folds of the robe make the sculpture look elegant. The exchange of glances between Anthony and the Christ child creates a quiet intimacy. At the back of the statue, a small iron bar has been attached to anchor the sculpture in the wall. The smoothly polished surface of the wood ensures an excellent glide of light on the material.