Title

Blessing Christ

Anonimous

Generic classification

Object

Date

Century

Cultural context / style

Dimensions

Material

Technique

Iconography / Theme

Provenance

Current location

Inventory Number in Current Collection

Object history

The origin of this sculpture is unknown, although the Saint Louis Art Museum suggests that it likely originated in Burgos. It is plausible that it formed part of a larger sculptural ensemble —perhaps an altarpiece— and was accompanied by the rest of the apostles. While it is unclear when the piece left Spain, it entered the Saint Louis Art Museum in 1939. In the early 20th century, many works of art were looted (Martínez Ruiz, 2008) and sold abroad to expand the private collections of wealthy magnates and newly established museums, primarily in the United States (Merino de Cáceres y Martínez Ruiz, 2012). Therefore, although we cannot reconstruct the complete history of the piece, it may have shared the fate of many other works of art.

Description

The piece depicts Christ blessing with his right hand and holding a book in his left. Notable features include the size of the head and the almond-shaped eyes. It is likely that this was the central figure, flanked by the apostles on either side.

Locations

• XIII^th c. - Early XX^th c.

  province

  Possible origin in the province of Burgos, Burgos (Spain)

• ca. 1939 - present

  museum

  Saint Louis Art Museum, Misuri (United States)