A Saintly Question.

My mother has travelled a fair bit in recent years and along the way she aquired this wooden statue of St Francis of Assisi.

She tells me the acquisition took place in Bangkok, in a small antique shop in the back streets  .

He is 10 inches tall and 3x3 inches wide.
He has small amounts of paint still visible but has see better days for sure.

I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on his origin as I don't think he was from Thailand but the wood looks tropical, so I am unsure?

Any information would be gratefully recieved.

 

Is your statue holding anything in his hands? (I can't quite tell from the photos.) St Francis of Assisi is considered the patron saint of animals, among other things, and he is often depicted with a bird in his hands. (He's a pretty "popular" saint, as those things go, so there are many statues of him out there.)

I'm not sure why a statue of St Francis of Assisi would have been made in Thailand, as the country's Catholic population is rather small.

I could be totally off the mark, but my guess is that this piece came from a "more Catholic" location.

 

looks like a monk to me...

 

Hey, Komo -
Well, he WAS a friar...

 

Hey SBSVC...!!
Well ....that's just like me to be out of the frying pan....into the Friar !!!!

 

Oh, Komo - you're better than that pun!

 

Ya...& you know it.....but chippityboo.....it's late here....so please excuse my grasping at humorous ( or humorless..) straws !!!

 

A large bird is perched on his left forearm with his left hand against his chest. He is holding 2 smaller birds in his right hand. No doubt in my mind he is representing St. Francis, but as to wood and why Thailand I haven't a clue.

--- Susan

 

That has been my thought too SBSVC, and yes believe they are animals he is holding.
I will post another close up although there has been a bit of weathering.
I am a little lost on the type of wood used to carve him.
Any idea on the time period he may have been made in ?
Thanks for your replies

Thank you Susan. I appreciate your confirmation of his identity.
I am glad the extra closeups have been useful .

 

a bird on the arm....is worth 2 ....in the other hand ...??

Hehehe!!!!!

 

These are generically called "Santos" with origin traced primarily to Spanish speaking Catholic countries. Given where it was found and the wood, I would think the Philippines to be a good bet for origin. While it looks old, it may not be. Most were made in the latter part of the 20th century as decorative objects and artificially given an aged look. It may take a hands-on evaluation to determine whether or not yours is old.

Based on my limited experience, I would say yours is not. The general crudeness would be the first sign, although some more primitive Santos did come from Latin America. The second sign is the lack of a gesso coating and how the wood looks stained rather than painted in some areas. Most old ones seen come from Spain or Latin America so it is possible that one from other areas could be made differently.

Here is a lot of Santos from the Philippines purported to be old for comparison. Click on photo to enlarge.



Source:

http://www.silkroadcollection.com/antique-philippines-saint-statue-santos.html

 

Yes, saint Francis holding the two pigeons. There are still two pidgeons in one of the churches in or near Assisi. I remember seeing them, but would have to look up the church.
And yes, Philippines.

 

Thanks Very Brad and Any Jewelry.
Amazing information, I would never have found it by general searching. I am very grateful for all of your time and links.
I will follow them up and try sleuthing the details from my end.
Thanks very one for your contributions and laughs.
Gen

 

I have just taken a couple of close up shots of the front of his robe which looks to be red, and of his face for verification of artificial aging or the real deal.
If again it is difficult to identify because of lack of tangible inspection, I completely understand and appreciate all the information shared so far.
Thanks again, Gen.