Saint Anthony of Padua anonymous novohispano

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This sculpture is believed to proceed perhaos from a private chapel or a small altarpiece. It is also probable that on the Holy Scriptures would carry a figure of the Child Jesus, which is deduced by the bolt that comes out of the cover of the Bible, to which such image would be fastened, this being one of the common attributes in the representations of Saint Anthony. This alludes to the miracle in which the saint is praying with the Child Jesus in his arms, while kissing and caressing him. In his right hand he must have carried a rod of lilies, symbol of purity and of the Virgin Mary.

In this colorful representation, the characteristic simplicity of a Franciscan saint and his vocation for poverty are embodied in several features: his bare feet, the bare skin of the neck and tonsured area, and his kind and simple attitude. It is striking that the cord is tight at the waist and does not hang at one end with the emblematic three Franciscan knots. The sculptural form suggests a thoughtful, calm and friendly attitude, while at the same time having a dynamic composition, since its axis follows a slight movement in S, which begins with a slight inclination of the head, the hip in contraposition, the flexion of the right leg and the heel that does not touch the base. This dynamism is highlighted by the movement and fall of the tunic.

Various techniques were used for its polychromic: semi-matte incarnations for the skin; solid colors for hair, eyes, eyebrows and lips; the mantle was completely gilded, leaving areas of gold discovered on the border of the chest, on the edge of the talar mantle and in some small scattered areas that were punched. For the latter, five shapes were used: two dots, one smaller than the other; two circular shapes of different sizes and one linear. The rest of the habit was covered by medium-sized flowers and leaves and very simple forms made with a “brush tip”, using white, red, green and black colors; As a background, around the plant forms and in some folds of the mantle, graffito was made on dark colors with irregular lines like transverse zigzag scratches.

Much of the polychromic habit has been lost, which does not allow the designs to be clearly appreciated, but the forms are simple: flowers with four to seven semicircular petals, around a central circle, some leaves scattered around them, which are repeated for all the clothing randomly

In addition to the face, the border of the chest is one of the most important areas of the sculpture, as it draws attention for its golden shine subtly attenuated by the slight relief produced by the punching. Based on the decoration and according to Consuelo Maquivar, it could be a sculpture from the 17th century, since medium-sized flowers and very simple shapes are observed, punching is used and there is a certain variety of colors, not as rich as that of the eighteenth century. On the other hand, it does not have glass eyes, a false element that became fashionable at the end of the 17th century and was widely used during the 18th century.

Unfortunately, the sculpture was repaired and repainted, especially in the area of ​​the back, with the intention of imitating the original decoration –it should be noted that it is a fairly recent intervention that cannot be called “restoration”, since it does not comply with a basic principle: leave evidence of the interventions without competing with the original; even the person who executed the work made a sgraffito drawing of a dog, probably as a personal mark, which can be seen on the lower left back of the mantle of the character–. Perhaps, this anecdotal detail is a possible hallmark of its repolychromator, establishing contact with the birds that have been designated for the carving of "Santa" in this same collection.

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