Last Quarter Of The 15th Century - Lombardy - Wooden Bust Of Saint Anthony Abbot

Extraordinary wooden bust depicting Saint Anthony the Abbot.
Lombardy, last quarter of the 15th century.
This fascinating bust depicts the Saint wearing the characteristic brown monastic habit, with the hood pulled up, revealing a distinctive and masterfully executed bulge at the back of the head.
The face is carved with extremely refined and meticulous detail.
The gaze is intense and elusive, almost as if it were wandering in a dimension distinct from that of the subject and the viewer.
The anatomical attributes are rendered in detail, such as the upturned nose, the furrowed eyebrows, and the expression lines around the eyes and forehead.
The meticulousness and technical expertise, however, find their maximum expression in the carving of the beard: realistic yet virtuosic. Wavy yet firm. Exuberant and thick, yet each line intersects and interacts with the others as if part of a clear yet complex design in the artist's mind.
The draping, though interrupted by the end of the sculpture, reveals a style that attributes different sensibilities to the different materials, yet the same technical expertise.
The thick hemp or linen canvas leaves no room for dramatic folds, and in this the artist indulges the philology of the material.
The sculpture was most likely a full-length figure, later reduced to a bust to make it a reliquary.
The back is hollowed out to prevent the wood from cracking.
The polychrome is original and in good condition.
Some missing parts in the face have been filled in with a different color to give the sculpture dignity without creating an effect of false perfection.
Woodworm holes do not compromise the sturdy structure of the wood.
An exceptional piece, of great expressive flavor, in very good condition.

Dimensions: 39 x 27 x 39.5H cm