Saint John (Bystanding)
unknown folk sculptor
Basic information
- ID
- С-I-1839
- Author
- unknown folk sculptor
- Name
- Saint John (Bystanding)
- Date of creation
- 18th–19th c.
- Country
- Ukraine
- Technique
- carving polychrome
- Material
- wood
- Dimensions (height x width x depth, cm)
- 42.1 x 19.5 x 11.3
Additionally
- Type
- sculpture
- Genre
- religious
- Plot
- Saint John
- Provenance
- Rizdviany village, Halych district, Ivano-Frankivsk region
Information about author
Object description
The figure of Saint John was a part of a sculptural composition of a Crucifixion, presumably located in a church or a roadside chapel, based on its small size. The frontal sculpture of John demonstrates the canonical image of the saint with a softly modelled gentle countenance. The elongated oval of his face is framed by straight strands of engraved hair, parted in the middle and falling onto the shoulders. The saint's right hand is pressed against his cheek, indicating the profound sorrow of the beloved disciple for his teacher, Christ. John is dressed in a long tunic, sculpted with clear vertical draperies with sharp ends descending in parallel broad strands. The lowered shoulders are covered by a himation, sculpted with horizontal lines in low relief. The depiction of the saint with his gaze directed sideways is full of inconsolable grief. The loss of polychromy, which enhanced the sculpture's emotional depth, prevents fully comprehending Saint Johns's image.
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery
