Commemorating the two Jesuit Saints: Ignatius Loyola (Founder), and Francis Xavier (1506–1552) (greatest missionary)
Unknown Artist
1677
Medium
Wax, partially painted obverse
Dimensions
3 7/8 × 3 1/8 in. (9.8 × 7.9 cm)
Classification
Sculpture-Miniature
Culture
Italian
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Captain and Mrs. William G. Fitch, in memory of their son, Clyde Fitch, 1910
Accession Number
10.116.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite miniature wax relief, created by an unknown Italian artist in 1677, honors two pivotal Jesuit saints: Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, and Francis Xavier, renowned one of the order's greatest missionaries (1506–1552). just 3 7/8 × 3 1/8 inches, it exemplifies the intimate scale of 17th-century devotional art, perfect for personal piety or private altars. The partially painted obverse—likely featuring detailed portraits or symbolic attributes—adds a lifelike vibrancy to the wax medium, a technique favored in Baroque Italy for its moldable realism and luminous ...