04 Wooden Sculptures, RELIGIOUS ART - The Holy Trinity, Virgin and Child, Christ as the Man of Sorrows and the Pieta, with footnotes #188

Italian, 16th century
The Holy Trinity
Gilt and polychromed wood, on a later metal stand
height 23 ½ in.; 59.7cm.
Private collection

The present sculpture depicts a Throne of Mercy, a depiction of the Holy Trinity popular in Christian iconography, in which God is shown on his throne, holding aloft His crucified son and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. More on this Sculpture

The Christian doctrine of the Trinity holds that God is one God, but three coeternal consubstantial persons or hypostases—the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit—as "one God in three Divine Persons". The three Persons are distinct, yet are one "substance, essence or nature". In this context, a "nature" is what one is, whereas a "person" is who one is.

While the developed doctrine of the Trinity is not explicit in the books that constitute the New Testament, the New Testament possesses a "triadic" understanding of God and contains a number of Trinitarian formulas. The doctrine of the Trinity was first formulated among the early Christians and fathers of the Church as early Christians attempted to understand the relationship between Jesus and God in their scriptural documents and prior traditions. More on the Trinity

Possibly Netherlandish, circa 1500
Virgin and Child
Gilt and polychromed wood
height 19 in.; 48.3cm.
Private collection

Italian, circa 1500
Christ as the Man of Sorrows
Polychromed wood
15 ¾ in.; 40cm. base 3 ⅞ by 17 ¾ in.; 9.8 by 45.1cm.
Private collection

The iconographic tradition of the Man of Sorrows flourished in the Veneto region during the Quattrocento and Cinquecento and was exemplified by representations of Christ standing upright in an open tomb and displaying His wounds. 

The present carving shares many similarities with painted depictions of the Man of Sorrows from the mid-15th century that were popularized by Venetian artists such as Antonio Vivarini and Michele Giambono. These examples portrayed Christ in half length with partially opened eyes and a downward gaze, a parted mouth, a lean and yet muscular torso, outstretched arms, and open palms that reveal His stigmata.

These representations depict a moment that transcends the boundaries of life and death, and was meant to prompt empathy for the intense suffering Christ endured for the salvation of humankind. More on this Sculpture

Brussels, Brabant, circa 1400-20
Pieta
Oak
height 11in.; 28cm.
Private collection

The Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture. As such, it is a particular form of the Lamentation of Christ, a scene from the Passion of Christ found in cycles of the Life of Christ. When Christ and the Virgin are surrounded by other figures from the New Testament, the subject is strictly called a Lamentation in English, although Pietà is often used for this as well, and is the normal term in Italian. More on the Pietà




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