”SAINT ROCH”. POLYCHROMED AND GILT WOOD SCULPTURE. JUAN DE ANCHIETA WORKSHOP, 16TH CENTURY

"San Roque". Sculpture in polychrome and stewed wood. Environment of Juan de Anchieta, 16th century. A bearded male figure is standing, holding a book and with a pilgrim hat on his back, in addition to presenting himself showing his right leg and resting his foot on a quadruped with something in its mouth. To his right, a naked child looks towards the saint while touching his leg with his left hand. He is presented with the angel on his left, the plague wound or buba on his leg (normally, the one shown is the other), the pilgrim's hat and cloak, and the dog with the loaf of bread located under one of his feet. in a very unusual way. All these attributes help to identify the image with Saint Roch, an Occitan pilgrim canonized in 1584, highly venerated before this date, above all, for considering him a healing saint, especially in cases of pestilence. A marked influence of the Italian Renaissance is clearly noticeable in the carving: from Michelangelo in the corporeality and anatomy of the two figures, the expressiveness of the saint, the composition, etc. These details, along with other particularities such as the hair and proportions, allow us to relate the sculpture to the workshop of Juan de Anchieta (Azpeitia, around 1533- Pamplona, 1588), a sculptor of great importance in 16th century Spanish art with work in the northern Castile, Aragon, the Basque Country, Navarra and Burgos, considered one of the main figures of Romanism. It is believed that he was trained in Italy, hence his stylistic connection with certain works by Jacobo della Quercia and, above all, his inspiration in the works of Michelangelo. The influence of the Valladolid focus is also clear in his style, where it has been documented between 1565 and 1570. Compare, for example, with the altarpiece of the church of San Pedro de Zumaia (Pamplona), completed already in 1577, the commissions which he made in the Cathedral of Burgos between 1576 and 1578 (Coronation of the Virgin and carving of Mary located on the lectern of the choir), or the main altarpiece of the Parish of Santa María de Tafalla made between 1581 and 1583. He set up his workshop in Pamplona, with numerous commissions and his style was so appreciated that it would influence works carried out in Aragon throughout the first third of the 17th century.

· Size: 16x11x25 cms.