A Bishop Saint 1500 - 1515

This sculpture of a Bishop Saint, maker unknown, stands nearly a meter tall, and is made of wood. The sculpture has a pronounced verticality, its lines elongated. The Bishop holds a book in his left arm and a staff in his right hand, attributes that lend symbolic authority to the figure. Think about the maker who fashioned this wooden figure. The process would have begun with selecting a suitable piece of wood and then, using a range of carving tools, he would have slowly revealed the figure within. Notice the intricate folds of the Bishop's robes, a testament to the carver's skill, slowly coaxing the wood into expressive shapes. While we don't know the artist's name, this work speaks volumes about the social context in which it was created. It reflects the importance of religious figures, and the high value placed on skilled craftsmanship. The labor invested in this sculpture elevates the material, transforming a simple piece of wood into a powerful cultural object. In this way, the act of making becomes an act of devotion.