Lot n° 182
Estimation :
15000 - 20000
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LARGE FIGURE OF SAINT AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO - Lot 182
LARGE FIGURE OF SAINT AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
in polychrome wood and gold, wearing a miter and holding a book, the chasuble decorated with foliage on a gilded background.
Spain, late 17th century.
H : 250 cm.
(Accents and restorations).
A stylistically similar figure is now preserved in Barcelona Cathedral. Created in the late 17th century by sculptor Joan Roig (b. 1629-1635, d. 1706) and painter Joan Moxi, it depicts Saint Pacien of Barcelona in a similar attitude at the center of an altarpiece.
Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430), one of the great Doctors of the Church, had a profound influence on Christian and Western thought. Born in Roman North Africa, he led a long spiritual quest before his conversion to Christianity, influenced by his mother Saint Monica and Saint Ambrose of Milan. After becoming bishop of Hippo, he became a major figure of the Christian West. He was abundantly represented in the arts, particularly from the Middle Ages onwards. He is generally recognized as a bishop, dressed in rich liturgical vestments, holding a book or a flaming heart, symbolizing his love of God. During the Renaissance, he became a favorite subject of painters and sculptors, appearing alone or alongside the other Doctors of the Latin Church (St. Jerome, St. Gregory and St. Ambrose).
His meditative posture, calm gaze and pen in hand reflect his role as a thinker. Baroque artists accentuated his spiritual ecstasy or inner struggles, as in Philippe de Champaigne's famous painting, Saint Augustin meditating on the Trinity. Through the centuries, his image has remained that of an intellectual inhabited by faith, a man both grounded in the world and turned towards the absolute.
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