HISPANO-PHILLIPINE, 17TH CENTURY

Details

A CARVED IVORY FIGURE OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI
HISPANO-PHILLIPINE, 17TH CENTURY
Saint Francis holding a crucifix in his proper left hand; a paper label to the reverse, a paper label and inscription to the underside and to the reverse of the crucifix all with the number '743'
19 in. (48.2 cm.) high

Literature

M. Estella, La Escultura Barroca De Marfil En Espana, Las Escuelas Europeas Y Las Coloniales, 1984, figs. 273-274.

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

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Lot Essay

Ivory devotional figures of this type were popular within the entire Spanish empire following the spread of Catholic missionaries in the late 16th and early 17th century. In the Philippines, Chinese craftsmen well-versed in the art of ivory carving were employed to satisfy this demand.

This beautifully carved figure is stylistically similar to another ivory of Saint Francis of Assisi in the Oriental Museum in Valladolid (Estella, loc. cit.), with comparable almond eyes, lobed nostrils, individually defined strands of curly hair and squat feet appearing from under the thick tunic.

The polychrome-spotted motifs on Saint Francis's drapery can also be seen in other Hispano-Phillipino ivories of the same period, such as a figure of Saint Anthony of Padua in the Cluny Museum, Paris (Estella, loc. cit.).

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