Early Oak Church Carving of a Saint
An exceptional larger early Northern European Baroque carving of an elderly and wildly bearded Saint in all original, untouched and never painted black bog oak. In crisply defined billowing robes, those hiding the half of a lion figure at his feet, he gazes down at the held open book, pointing at a page. The back of this 25" tall Cathedral piece is with scooped out back, originally meant to be seen from below from its wall nitch. Fresh to the market for at least a century, a few single arm areas could be re-glued (not necessary),with a very small old loss of wood at his left elbow, only seen from the back. Bold and dynamic, of particularly early, transitional to the Baroque, circa 1620-40, its origins from the regions of Antwerp to Franco-Flemish Belgium or even possibly Vienna. Great untouched condition, 12" widest.