Saint Lawrence

In this sculptural work of Mestre Pêro, carved in limestone from Ançã, is represented Saint Lawrence, primitive martyr of Christianity, with the Roman grid as his attribute of martyrdom and the Book of Alms or Gospels on the left hand, attribute of deacon in charge of the alms of the poor and with traces of original polychrome. The Gothic sculpture in Portugal must have been defined at the time of the reign of King Dom Dinis, in the cultural context that he encouraged, also corresponded to a remarkable artistic production and the role of his wife, Queen Isabel of Aragon, better known as Queen Saint Isabel. This Aragonese sculptor established his workshop in Coimbra at the beginning of the 14th century, and wit the patronage of Queen Isabel becomes the best well-known sculptor in Coimbra because of his refined sculptor work and the use the limestone from Ançã, a village near Coimbra. This type of limestone is soft and white, allowing work and technique of more precision and detail. Some of the best carvings from the Coimbra School during this century are attributed to Mestre Pêro: with the knowledge he brought, with the sculptural tradition of Coimbra and the material he found there, he changed the rigid schemes of the Portuguese Romanesque, giving his sculptures more naturalism, more movement and more elegance. Thus, in this sculpture by Mestre Pêro representing Saint Lawrence, one should emphasize the detail of the extremely long and thin fingers, characteristic of this sculptor, the traces of the primitive polychrome typical at the time, and tunic with incisive geometric motifs.