Saint Roch
unknown
Basic information
Additionally
- Type
- sculpture
- Genre
- religious
- Plot
- Saint Roch
- Provenance
- Collection of Leon Pininski
Information about author
Object description
Saint Roch was a French saint whose worship was common in the Catholic Church of Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. People prayed to the saint to cure infectious diseases. In classical iconography, Roch is depicted pointing to a plague ulcer on his leg. One of his attributes is a pilgrim's staff. The full-length sculptural depiction portrays a man wearing a tunic cinched with a belt over a pilgrim's cloak. Two shells are attached to the cloak, symbolising the saint's pilgrimage and reminding of the transience of earthly life. The man wears a hat with broad brims. The sculpture presents the image of a wandering hermit, whose contrapposto figure is depicted with the right leg exposed. In the artwork, the author emphasises Rochs composed face with a high forehead, straight nose, and large almond-shaped eyes under low eyebrow arches. The waves of unruly hair and a beard frame the saint's head. The polychrome adds expressiveness to the face, enhancing the emotional depth of the portrayal. The sculpture's slow movement is complemented by the calm lines of the garment's drapery. The frontal figure is restrained and poised, with the saint's gaze focused and concentrated.
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery
