17th century Spanish school

Spanish school of the 17th century.
"Saint Anthony of Padua", ca. 1677.
Carved wood, polychrome and gilded.
Measurements: 58 cm (height).

Baroque sculpture in carved wood, worked in round bulk, representing St. Anthony of Padua. Originally he was carrying the Child Jesus in his arms (in allusion to the legendary vision of the Child that the saint had being in his cell), as we notice by the enveloping posture that he adopts. He is represented here as a young beardless boy, with a Franciscan habit and the characteristic tonsure of the order around his head. The fabric of his garments falls forming deep folds that print a just dynamic of chiaroscuro.

St. Anthony of Padua is, after St. Francis of Assisi, the most popular of the Franciscan saints. He was born in Lisbon in 1195 and only spent the last two years of his life in Padua. After studying in the convent of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, in 1220 he entered the Order of Friars Minor, where he changed his first name, Fernando, to Antonio. After teaching theology in Bologna, he traveled through southern and central France, preaching in Arles, Montpellier, Puy, Limoges and Bourges. In 1227 he participated in the general chapter of Assisi. In 1230 he was in charge of the transfer of the remains of St. Francis. He preached in Padua and died there at the age of 36 in 1231. He was canonized only a year after his death, in 1232.