Circa 18th Century South American Santos Figure

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South American Santos Figure, circa 18th Century
Wooden sculpture of a monk with glass eyes, most likely Saint Francis, due … Read more South American Santos Figure, circa 18th Century
Wooden sculpture of a monk with glass eyes, most likely Saint Francis, due to hairstyle and simple robes. A more identifiable symbol of stigmata make me fairly certain. Weathered exterior, 32 inches H.

Santos, or "holy images," speak of generations of Hispanic artistic tradition and religious devotion. In the centuries after Columbus travelled, missionaries and priests brought Catholicism to Spanish colonies in the Americas. European carvings and prints of saints, the Virgin Mary, and Christ inspired the early santos made in this hemisphere. In many areas, where churches were inaccessible and priests scarce, locally carved and painted wooden santos aided worshipers at home altars and in family chapels. See less