Late 15th Century, Large St Roch Pilgrim Showing His Stigmata Wooden Carved & Pted Statue

Late 15th century (or very early 16th century)

Large wooden carved statue depicting St Roch showing his stigmata

About the iconography of Saint Roch: a 17th century statue in the church of Angoisse (Dordogne) - Persée (persee.fr)

“Among the saints invoked against the Plague, St Roch is certainly the most popular. His story, somewhat legendary, made him born into a wealthy family in Montpellier around 1360, in the midst of the Hundred Years War. Orphan quite early, he left his native town, where he previously enriched the poor and sick, and undertook the pilgrimage to Rome. Finding on his way the small town of Acquapendente, in the Apennines, ravaged by the Plague, he spent himself without counting, comforting the sick and realizing many miraculous cures. He finally reaches Rome, where the plague was also raging, and devotes himself there in the same way, remaining several years in the Eternal City. His pilgrimage completed, he decides to return to his homeland, but on the way back, near Plaisance, he himself feels the first attacks of the disease, and retires to a forest to die there alone, without sowing the contagion. God sends him a consoling angel who applies balm to his wound. He makes a spring gush out to quench his feverish thirst and also provides for his food: every day, the dog of a neighboring lord brings him bread stolen from his master's table. Healed, St Roch returned to Montpellier where no one recognized him, not even his uncle. Denounced as a spy, he is thrown in prison. One day, his jailer finds him dead in his dungeon, radiating with a supernatural light. From the 15th century, the popular cult of St Roch develops, even before his official canonization which will only occur in the 17th century under the pontificate of Urban VIII.

The usual figuration of St Roch represents him wearing mustache and beard, his face framed by beautiful curly hair, dressed in the traditional costume of pilgrim: tunic tight at the waist and covered with a large pelerine fastened by a clasp, panetière slung over the shoulder, boots with wide cuffs.
He must have held in his left hand the bumblebee with the gourd, here missing. From the right, he discovers the ulcer in his thigh. His slightly smiling face reflects the serenity and quiet assurance of a saint.

St Roch is represented here without the dog or his protector angel, as often in 15th century.

Large size: 99cm height, around 39cm width and 25cm depth

Condition: some wormholes on the lower part (and speially the end of his right foot, missing of his left hand, in a high position, which was holding his pilgrim's staff; a general old gray color covers the original polychromy which is certainly incomplete but which still nevertheless appears in many places: blue, red, green, pink, black and brown,...

The face of St Roch is stunning and very expressive (we will notice as often the foreshortening of the body compared to the size of the face), and the statue has a lot of presence.

Shipping by carrier on estimate, or delivery once a month to Chartres, Le Mans, Paris, Avignon, Béziers or Montpellier (contact me for terms)