POLYCHROMED AND “ESTOFADA” WOODEN SCULPTURE. “LUKE THE EVANGELIST”. 16TH CENTURY.

Polychrome and upholstered wood carving. “Saint Luke the Evangelist”. 16th century. Freestanding devotional figure of a bearded man standing with one knee raised to support a tablet on which he is writing. Beneath his left leg, a bull is looking towards him, lying on the ground. The clothing reveals the gold base that forms the stew. Saint Luke is frequently represented as a middle-aged, bearded man, accompanied by the Tetramorph animal with which he is associated (Revelation 4:6-7), an element that is also due to a verse in the Book of Ezekiel (1:10). The act of writing alludes to his authorship of one of the Gospels, although the Acts of the Apostles are also attributed to him. The image belonged to an altarpiece, hence the back part is barely worked and polychrome, and it was placed alone or as part of a scene such as a Last Judgement. Stylistically, the image's upholstery and its design are details that remain from the Gothic tradition. However, the correct anatomy of the figure, the contained movement conveyed by the drapes and its posture, and the naturalism and expression of its face relate the work to the Renaissance. In Spain, this artistic style was introduced during the 16th century, with great differences depending on the region and artist. After an initial stage in which strong medieval influences were still present, the second third of the century saw the introduction of Mannerism by artists who had travelled to Italy and returned with the novelties. It is with this second stage that the sculpture is most closely related, without forgetting the medieval details that it still maintains and the restraint of its movement and expressiveness. Compare, for example, with the works of Alonso de Berruguete and Juan de Juni, the evangelists Saint Luke and Saint Mark from the church of Santa Eulalia de Ganuza, today in the Diocesan Museum of Pamplona. Requires cleaning and polychrome restoration.

· Size: 16x7x36 cms,