Father and Son Crucified

English alabaster figure representing the Holy Trinity. This is an early model, which does not depict the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, but does include God the Father and His Crucified Son. The beard in a double loop and the slanted eyes, with well-defined eyelids, are typical of those early models.

The figure has been extensively damaged. The figure of God the Father is missing the hands and crown and some cracks have been repaired with glue. There are remains of coloured paint. It comes from the old chapel of San Salbatore de Aguirre, in the municipal area of Oiartzun, adjacent to Lezo and Errenteria (Gipuzkoa). The chapel is documented from the mid-sixteenth century until its destruction in the nineteenth century during the Carlist Wars.

In Gipuzkoa there are still twenty sculptures of English alabaster extant. Because of their size and relative affordability, they became common in the Low Middle Ages throughout regions of Europe, to which they spread along maritime trading routes. Eight of them come from the chapel of Salbatore and form part of the San Telmo collections.

Bibliography:

Martiarena Lasa, Xabier. Los alabastros ingleses en Gipuzkoa : nuevas aportaciones en la franja costera. Ars Bilduma, Revista del Departamento de Historia del Arte y Música de la Universidad del País Vasco = Euskal herriko Unibertsitateko Artearen Historia eta Musika Saileko Aldizkaria. 3, 2013. 151-166.

Inventory number: STM-002467-001