04 Carvings, Biblical Carvings & Sculpture from Mexico With Footnotes 5

Mexican Painted Wood Christ - After Crucifixion

Mexico, 18th century CE. An expressive and beautiful wooden carving of Christ, seated , wearing a red cape and a crown of thorns. Small patches of color - the cape, the green of the crown, and small blue dots on the eyes - draw the viewers' attention. The rest is black and cream painted. A sensitive religious folk art carving. Size: 7.25" W x 12.6" H (18.4 cm x 32 cm) 

Carved Mexican Wooden Angel - Gabriel

Mexico, Spanish Colonial period, late 18th to early 19th century CE. A tall, elegant carved wooden statue of the angel Gabriel, shown here with long, narrow wings and holding a Bible with a cross on its cover. His clothing is highly detailed and his face has a serene expression. Size: 5.4" W x 13.35" H (13.7 cm x 33.9 cm) 

Early Mexican Carved Wooden Friar

Mexico, Spanish Colonial period, 18th century CE. A carved wooden santo or friar, short and a little portly, wearing a well-painted cloak and with a smiling expression on his face. Perhaps once a decorative element in a home or small church. Size: 4.75" W x 12.2" H (12.1 cm x 31 cm) 

In the Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an angel who typically serves as a messenger sent from God to certain people.

In the Old Testament, he appears to the prophet Daniel, delivering explanations of Daniel's visions. In the Gospel of Luke, Gabriel appeared to Zechariah and the Virgin Mary, foretelling the births of John the Baptist and Jesus. In the Book of Daniel, he is referred to as "the man Gabriel", while in the Gospel of Luke, Gabriel is referred to as "an angel of the Lord". Gabriel is not called an archangel in the Bible, but is so called in Intertestamental period sources like the Book of Enoch. In the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, the archangels Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel are also referred to as saints. In Islam, Gabriel is considered an archangel whom God is believed to have sent with revelation to various prophets, including Muhammad. The 96th chapter of the Quran, The Clot, is believed by Muslims to have been the first chapter revealed by Gabriel to Muhammad. More on St. Gabriel

Large Mexican Wooden Santos - Saint Francis

Mexico, 19th or early 20th century CE. A large, sensitive statue of a saint, probably St Francis of Assisi, carved in wood with a dynamic stance - one foot standing atop a ball, arms out, with his head tilted to one side. He has a classically Franciscan haircut and beard, wide, staring eyes that probably once had inlays, and a wonderfully sculpted flowing belted robe, complete with dangling rope. A pattern of gilding and black marks the robe, very clearly seen on the back. Interestingly, the figure stands atop a carved dais (all part of the same piece of wood) that has a face carved in its front side. Size: 10.55" W x 24.5" H (26.8 cm x 62.2 cm) 

Saint Francis Xavier, S.J. (7 April 1506 – 3 December 1552), was a Navarrese-Basque Roman Catholic missionary, born in Javier, Kingdom of Navarre (now part of Spain), and a co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a companion of St. Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits who took vows of poverty and chastity at Montmartre, Paris in 1534. He led an extensive mission into Asia, mainly in the Portuguese Empire of the time and was influential in evangelization work, most notably in India. He also was the first Christian missionary to venture into Japan, Borneo, the Maluku Islands, and other areas. In those areas, struggling to learn the local languages and in the face of opposition, he had less success than he had enjoyed in India. Xavier was about to extend his missionary preaching to China but died in Shangchuan Island shortly before he could do so.

He was beatified by Pope Paul V on 25 October 1619 and canonized by Pope Gregory XV on 12 March 1622. In 1624 he was made co-patron of Navarre alongside Santiago. Known as the "Apostle of the Indies," and the "Apostle of Japan", he is considered to be one of the greatest missionaries since St. Paul. In 1927, Pope Pius XI published the decree "Apostolicorum in Missionibus" naming St. Francis Xavier, along with St. Thérèse of Lisieux, co-patron of all foreign missions. He is now co-patron saint of Navarre with San Fermin. The Day of Navarre (Día de Navarra) in Spain marks the anniversary of Saint Francis Xavier's death, on 3 December 1552. More on Saint Francis

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