For the feast of St. John the Baptist, we have the opportunity to share another hand-carved statue coming from the polychromed series of saints that have een coming out of the workshop of Hape Sculpture, located in Val Gardena, a beautiful valley set within the Dolomites of the very north of Italy.
As we have previously advocated on various occasions, quality always trumps quantity where liturgical and domestic devotional art are concerned, and statues such as these are perfect for home, church or chapel equally.
This particular statue of St. John the Baptist is 60cm (approximately 24") in height and is hand-carved from linden wood, then further polychromed in beautiful colour and stencilled designs in collaboration with the studio of Ana Rocha Arte Sacra.
The statue features a very robust figure of St. John the Baptist, otherwise following the traditional iconographic form of the saint with his rustic wooden staff in the from of a cross, as well as a lamb at his feet -- recalling his role as he who was the precursor or forerunner announcing the coming of Christ, the Lamb of God.This particular statue carries with it a strong sense of Easter symbolism as well, both because of the presence of the lamb and also by virtue of the shroud wrapped around the Baptist's staff, making something like this perfect for churches or chapels who follow the tradition of displaying seasonal liturgical statues at times like Christmas, or in this case, Easter.
If you are interested in learning more about the work of Hape Sculpture, please see their website or visit them on social media.
If you are interested in learning more about the work of Hape Sculpture, please see their website or visit them on social media.
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