Late 18th/early 19th century
France
Polychrome wood, silk, linen
37 ½” high

Polychrome liturgical figures such as these were (and still are) carried in procession on saints? days or other religious festivals. This three-quarter length large, carved wooden saint wears an expression of gentle resignation. The remnants of her hair and resplendent costume (of silk, linen, damask and lace) are original. Her arms are articulated, her body and base carved of one solid piece. There is a hole at the back of her head from which a halo would have once emerged. Her face and hands have been recently repainted. We wish we could preserve her in this moment of wabi-sabi perfection.