Saint Stephen In Wood, First Quarter Of The 14th Century.

Saint Stephen in wood, probably ash or oak. He is depicted tonsured, with the instrument of his martyrdom, the stones he holds in his left hand, as well as a book, the Bible, in his right hand. He is wearing his deacon's dalmatic, formerly polychromed in red, representing the blood of his martyr. His face, typical of the early 14th century, shows the saint of the first century, confident and determined. The bridge of the nose extended to the arches, the almond-shaped eyes and the shape of the face connect him to the art of the end of the reign of Philip the Fair, the "time of cursed kings" (see the Philip the Fair exhibition at the Grand Palais in 1998). Carved from a single imposing tree trunk, the sculpture is in a good state of preservation, the woodworm is stabilized and the front face shows very little. Height: 1.2 m; Diameter 20 cm.