"Saint Laurence". Carved and polychromed wooden sculpture. Transition between the [...]

"Saint Laurence". Carved and polychromed wooden sculpture. Transition between the Romanesque and the Gothic. Circa 1300.The mastery with which the face is sculpted is outstanding. The facial features are modelled with great delicacy. The sculptor´s mastery can be especially appreciated in the delicacy and sweetness with which the facial features have been sculpted. Certain characteristics, such as the smooth forehead, the nose which continues the line of the high eyebrows and the saint´s slight smile allow us to situate the sculpture in the Catalan Pyrenees, with influences from French sculptors of the same period. These influences flourished in the early 14th century at the Sant Bertran de Comenge workshop. The saint is in a vertical position and wears an Alb and dalmatic. In his right hand he holds a book, as the custodian and keeper of the Holy Scriptures of the Church. His left hand is closed and holding what could have been the gridiron, which is missing, the iconographic symbol of his torture. Provenance: - Lorenzo Martínez Antiques, Madrid. ⇥ – Private collection, Barcelona.Height: 115 cm.