Spanish school, XVII century.

Spanish School, XVII century.
"Saint Anthony the Abbot.
Carved wood.
Presents restoration in the hand that holds the rod. It has lost the rod.
Measurements: 63 x 16 x 15 cm.
Saint Anthony appears represented following his basic iconography, with the sayal with hood typical of the Antonines, long beard and a pig at his feet. The canon is stylized and the face is bony and expressive. His waist, far from being hieratic, adopts a slight movement due to the bending of one knee, which favors the naturalistic play of the folds of the tunic. Worked in the round, the carver shows great skill in the shaping of the different qualities, highlighting the double layer of the hand, undulating in wide meanders in the back, covered with brocade. Stylistically and chronologically it is inscribed in the Spanish Renaissance.
According to the legend, Saint Anthony Abbot was born in Egypt in 251, and at a very young age he retired to the solitude of the desert. The Order of the Antonines was founded in the 11th century under the patronage of St. Anthony as a holy healer. In order to maintain their commendations and hospitals, the Antonines dedicated themselves to raising pigs. They enjoyed the privilege of letting their animals, recognizable by the bell that jingled on their necks, roam the streets of the villages and the communal lands. Hence one of the most popular attributes of the saint is a pig with a cowbell around its neck.