St Sebastian
Statuette
ca. 1700-1750 (made)
ca. 1700-1750 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The techniques used in carving in wood and stone were fundamentally the same. First the sculptor carved the rough shape of the piece, a process known as 'blocking out'. Then, he would work the surface with knives or chisels and abrasives. The figure was generally held horizontally at a workbench and attached to cylindrical shafts, so the sculptor could turn the piece as he carved. Small-scale pieces were generally carved at a workbench.
Boxwood was a fine-grained wood much used for small-scale sculpture.
The technique used here of gilding underlying the paint, or being revealed when the paint is scratched through, is typical of Spanish sculpture.
Boxwood was a fine-grained wood much used for small-scale sculpture.
The technique used here of gilding underlying the paint, or being revealed when the paint is scratched through, is typical of Spanish sculpture.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | St Sebastian (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Boxwood, painted and gilded |
| Brief description | Statuette, boxwood painted and gilded, St Sebastian, Spain (Castile), ca. 1700-50 |
| Physical description | St. Sebastian leans back against a tree stump. His left arm is tied to tree above shoulder; his right arm is behind the torso and draped over a limb of the tree. The head looks to the left. The weight is on the right foot, the left foot is relaxed. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Bought by John charles Robinson from don José Calcerrada, Madrid in 1863, for £4. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | The techniques used in carving in wood and stone were fundamentally the same. First the sculptor carved the rough shape of the piece, a process known as 'blocking out'. Then, he would work the surface with knives or chisels and abrasives. The figure was generally held horizontally at a workbench and attached to cylindrical shafts, so the sculptor could turn the piece as he carved. Small-scale pieces were generally carved at a workbench. Boxwood was a fine-grained wood much used for small-scale sculpture. The technique used here of gilding underlying the paint, or being revealed when the paint is scratched through, is typical of Spanish sculpture. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 175-1864 |
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| Record created | March 8, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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