Saint Bartholomew

This work is one of six sculptures of Saints made in 1704 by Weisfeldt, the Norwegian artist who worked in Silesia, for the main altar in the Church of the Holy Cross in Wrocław. The figure of St Bartholomew is definitely the most dramatic one out of the entire group. According to the legend, the Apostle was skinned alive and then crucified. The artist, aiming at arousing the sympathy of the congregation – and ignoring any likelihood of such a scene – showed the Saint holding his own skin in his hands. The painting is considered one of the most prominent examples of the local artistic style which emerged in the early 18th century, and is referred to as Silesian Baroque Mannerism.