St James the Less
Statuette
15th century (made)
15th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Saint James the Less, with long hair and a spade shaped beard is shown holding a fuller's club, the symbol of martyrdom in his right hand. In his left hand he holds a scroll, which presumably originally bore the phrase of the Apostles Creed attributed to him. He wears a robe and a cloak draped from his right shoulder.
Saint James the Less was beaten to death with a fuller's club, in Lower Egypt where he was preaching the Gospel.
Saint James the Less was beaten to death with a fuller's club, in Lower Egypt where he was preaching the Gospel.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | St James the Less (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Carved and painted alabaster |
| Brief description | Alabaster statuette depicting St James the Less. English, 15th century. |
| Physical description | The saint has long hair and wears a spade-shaped beard. He holds a fuller's club, his symbol, in his right hand. In his left hand he holds a scroll, which presumably originally bore the phrase of the Apostles' Creed attributed to him. He wears a robe and a cloak draped from his right shoulder. The top of the scroll is broken off at hand level. There are traces of the usual green ground and daisy pattern. There are traces of blue in the folds of the cloak. The back of the panel is marked with 12 closely spaced incisions. There are two holes with the remains of lead in-filling. There is a mark down the middle, running the length of the figure, which shows where the alabaster was sawn from the block. On one side the surface is smooth, on the other very rough. The bottom has been cut away. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 12 closely spaced lines. (On the back of the figure.; incising) |
| Credit line | Given by Dr W. L. Hildburgh FSA |
| Object history | Acquired by Dr W. L. Hildburgh in Paris. Possibly originally from the church at St. Avit-les-Guespières, Sarthe. On loan from Dr Hildburgh since 1924 and given by him to the Museum in 1946. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Saint James the Less, with long hair and a spade shaped beard is shown holding a fuller's club, the symbol of martyrdom in his right hand. In his left hand he holds a scroll, which presumably originally bore the phrase of the Apostles Creed attributed to him. He wears a robe and a cloak draped from his right shoulder. Saint James the Less was beaten to death with a fuller's club, in Lower Egypt where he was preaching the Gospel. |
| Associated objects |
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| Bibliographic reference | Cheetham, Francis. English Medieval Alabasters. Oxford: Phaidon-Christie's Limited, 1984. p. 109 (cat. 38), ill. ISBN 0-7148-8014-0 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.58-1946 |
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| Record created | November 13, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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