Saint Peter of Alcántara
c. 1663–1670
Medium
painted wood, with ivory and glass
Dimensions
72.2 × 32 × 32 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
European Painting and Sculpture
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession Number
2009.81
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
Painted wood sculpture from Spain in the 1600s involved a team of artisans working under a lead sculptor. The sculptor first carved numerous pieces of wood in complex forms. So the paint would stick properly, these fragments were delicately covered in gesso (a combination of white chalk and glue made from animal collagen), preserving the subtle woodcarving underneath. The rough surface of the saint's face—reflecting his age and hardships—came from texturing the gesso with a brush. The glass eyes...