St. John The Baptist, Diego De Robles XVI School, Quito

From the workshop of Diego de Robles comes this polychrome religious sculpture depicting Saint John the Baptist, recognizable by his red cloak, his animal-skin tunic (here with gold patterns), and the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei) resting on a book in his left hand. It belongs to the colonial Baroque style of the Quito School (Ecuador).
Diego de Robles (active in the late 16th century, died around 1594) was a sculptor and religious image maker of Spanish origin (Toledo) who settled in Ecuador. He is considered one of the pioneers and great masters of the Quito School (Escuela Quitena). He introduced Spanish Mannerist and Baroque sculptural techniques while adapting them to local labor and materials. His works are characterized by highly expressive facial features and very fine polychrome work (encarnado for the flesh tones, estofado for the gilding on clothing).
Similar sculptures from the Quito School depicting saints (Saint John the Baptist, Saint Joseph, Saint Francis), or images of the Virgin Mary can now be found at the Museo Fray Pedro Godez (Quito), the Museo de Arte Colonial de Quito, as well as in numerous private collections of Spanish-American colonial art (16th–18th centuries).
Some missing parts and cracks