POLYCHROMED AND “ESTOFADA” WOODEN SCULPTURE. “LUKE THE EVANGELIST”. 16TH CENTURY.

Carving in polychrome and stewed wood. "Saint Luke the Evangelist." Century XVI. Freestanding devotional figure of a bearded man standing, with one knee raised to support a board on which he writes. Under his left leg, a bull looks towards him, lying on the ground. The clothing reveals the golden base that forms the stew. Saint Luke is frequently represented as a mature, bearded man, accompanied by the Tetramorph animal with which he is related (Revelation 4:6-7), an element that is also due to a verse from the Book of Ezekiel (1:10). . The act of writing alludes to his authorship of one of the Gospels, although the Acts of the Apostles are also attributed to him. The image belonged to an altarpiece, hence the back part is barely worked and polychrome, and was placed alone or as part of a scene such as a Last Judgment. Stylistically, the stew of the image and its design are details that remain from the Gothic tradition. However, the correct anatomy of the figure, the contained movement transmitted by the cloth and its posture, and the naturalism and expression of its face relate the work to the Renaissance. In Spain, this artistic style was introduced throughout the 16th century, with great differences according to regions and artists. After a first stage in which strong medieval influences were still maintained, the second third of the century saw the introduction of Mannerism by artists who had traveled to Italy and returned with the news. It is with this second stage that the carving is most closely related, without forgetting the medieval details that it still maintains and the content of its movement and expressiveness. Compare, for example, with the works of Alonso de Berruguete and Juan de Juni, the evangelists Saint Luke and Saint Mark from the church of Santa Eulalia de Ganuza, today in the Diocesan Museum of Pamplona. Requires cleaning and restoration of polychrome.

· Size: 16x7x36 cms,