Sculpture "san Blas". Carved Wood, Polychrome And Gilded. Castilian School, 14th Century.

Sculpture of "San Blas." Carved, polychrome, and gilded wood. Castilian School, 14th century. The figure is standing, looking forward with large, expressive eyes, a slight smile on his face, blessing with his raised right hand, and holding an object in his left hand (probably a bishop's crozier). He is dressed in an alb and chasuble, a garment decorated with gold bands resembling gold embroidery, from beneath which the stole seems to peek out; the episcopal miter he wears on his head is also adorned with a series of decorations in slight relief resembling cabochons and gold bands. Although it is not accompanied by many iconographic attributes, it is possible to compare this sculpture to Saint Blas, a physician and bishop of Sebaste (Armenia), executed at the beginning of the 4th century and known for his gift of miraculous healing, which he applied to men and animals. Normally, he is depicted accompanied by a pig, two crossed candles (his feast day is celebrated after Candlemas), a horn, a carding rake (he was tortured with this item), and bishop's robes. His history and veneration were very popular from the early Middle Ages onward, first in the East and then in the Christian Western world. The saint's expression and expressiveness place the sculpture within the Gothic style, which was already concerned with showing a certain movement and a certain closeness in the figures, introducing feeling into the faces. The folds are now less geometric than in the Romanesque, seeking some anatomy but still without showing it or letting it be seen as it will be done when the Renaissance influence arrives. The use of gold in the decoration is also common in the Castilian school of the period, and will continue for quite some time. Also characteristic are the rigidity of the figure, which distances it from those examples more closely related to France, and the lack of delicacy in the folds, which are present in works from the Flemish school. These types of sculptures are preserved in certain churches and in certain private collections. Likewise, some museums have managed to gather works similar to this Saint: the Lázaro Galdiano Museum in Madrid, the Museum of Art N. de Cataluña in Barcelona, the Museum of Navarra in Pamplona, the Archaeological Museum of Madrid, etc. · Size: 30x16x106 cms