17th Century St. Nicholas Sculpture Polychrome Carved Wood

About the Item

17th century St. Nicholas Polychrome carved wood, h. 133 cm In the past, wooden statues were frequently commissioned to artists for the results of intense naturalism that emotionally involved the faithful. Furthermore, wood, lending itself more to being painted than marble or stone, accentuated its illusionism and created works of great charm and suggestion destined both for private devotion and for ecclesiastical, conventual or monastic spaces. St. Nicholas of Bari, also known as St. Nicholas of Myra (Patara di Licia, about 270 - Myra, 343), is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church and several other Christian denominations, he was bishop of Myra (today Demre ). He is also known outside the Christian world because his figure gave rise to the myth of Santa Claus. His relics are kept in Bari, Venice, Rimini, Saint-Nicolas-de-Port, Bucharest, Volos and also in Bulgaria, in the church of the city of Cernomoretz. He was probably born in Patara di Licia, between 261 and 280. Growing up in an environment of Christian faith, according to the most widespread sources, he lost his parents prematurely due to the plague. He thus became the heir of a rich patrimony that he distributed among the poor and therefore remembered as a great benefactor. He later left his hometown and moved to Myra where he was ordained a priest, later becoming a bishop. Imprisoned and exiled in 305 during the persecution of Diocletian, he was then freed by Constantine in 313 and resumed his apostolic activity. It is not certain that he was one of the 318 participants in the Council of Nicaea in 325: according to tradition, however, during the council he would have harshly condemned Arianism, defending orthodoxy, and in a moment of impetus he would have slapped Arius. . The writings of Andrew of Crete and John Damascene would confirm his faith rooted in the principles of Catholic orthodoxy. he was then freed by Constantine in 313 and resumed his apostolic activity. It is not certain that he was one of the 318 participants in the Council of Nicaea in 325: according to tradition, however, during the council he would have harshly condemned Arianism, defending orthodoxy, and in a moment of impetus he would have slapped Arius. . The writings of Andrew of Crete and John Damascene would confirm his faith rooted in the principles of Catholic orthodoxy. he was then freed by Constantine in 313 and resumed his apostolic activity. It is not certain that he was one of the 318 participants in the Council of Nicaea in 325: according to tradition, however, during the council he would have harshly condemned Arianism, defending orthodoxy, and in a moment of impetus he would have slapped Arius. . The writings of Andrew of Crete and John Damascene would confirm his faith rooted in the principles of Catholic orthodoxy. The first opportunity to show his charity was offered to him by a neighbor, a man, once well-off and now reduced to such poverty that he could not give even a small dowry to his three beautiful daughters. The three young girls were about to take a dishonorable path, but the young Nicholas warned by God through a dream secretly sent three hoards of coins, wrapped in a handkerchief, to the poor father who was able to marry his daughters with dignity. Because of this episode, St. Nicholas, as in the work in question, is often depicted with three golden balls or three bags of coins. The sculpture is characterized by the artist's ability to define the drapery, elegant and articulated in the rendering of the folds, as well as details such as the beard or hair analytically rendered strand by strand.

Dimensions:

Height: 52.37 in (133 cm)Width: 15.75 in (40 cm)Depth: 13.78 in (35 cm)

Materials and Techniques:

Wood,Hand-Carved,Hand-Painted

Place of Origin:

Italy

Period:

17th Century

Date of Manufacture:

17th Century

Condition:

Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use.