Vintage Carved and Painted St. Lucas from Guerrero

Vintage Carved and Painted St. Lucas from Guerrero

Anonymous Artisan

Carved and painted wood

Ht. 20″ x W. 18″ x D. 10″

Carved wooden santos or saints were used widely in Mexico as priests and missionaries worked earnestly to convert the indigenous population as well as by the Spanish who emigrated to Mexico and built their lavish cathedrals. Spanish carvers taught the art to indigenous artists. Early santos are generally unsigned, their histories difficult to trace, and their patronage unknown. But they remain objects of affection and devotion and are imbued with the history of the colonial era.

St. Luke is depicted here with his traditional symbol of the bull or oxen.