A large polychrome figure, perhaps an Apostle, possibly Austrian, mid 15th century

128cm high, 80cm wide, 46cm deep

This large, dignified figure of a saint, perhaps an Apostle, is polychrome, carved limewood that retains significant portions of its original paint and gilding.

The figure is shown seated on a substantial bench with a rolled cushion. His left hand gestures outwards and his right holds a Missal. These features, along with his long beard, suggest that he may have originally been one of a group of sculptures representing Apostle figures.

The drapery of the robes is extremely well articulated with the depth and angles of carving convincingly conveying the impression of heavy cloth. The long face and curly hair and beard are also distinctive features. One iconographic feature worth noting is that the bare toes of the saint poke out from under his gown. This would likely be easily understood by a visually literate pious audience as a sign of humility and acceptance of poverty that was undertaken, particularly by the saints, as a way of emulating Christ.[1] It may also have been read as a literal reference to Christ’s charge to the Apostles: "Provide your selves with no gold or silver, not even with a few coppers for your purses, with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic or footwear or a staff…" (Matthew 10:9)

[1] Pestilli, Livio, Apostolic Bare Feet in Masaccio's "Tribute Money": Early Christian and Medieval Sources, Notes in the History of Art, Vol. 26, No. 1 (Fall 2006), pp. 5-14