Description
Carved in the round, St. Francis's neck is shaped like a peg to fit into something else, presumably a torso made of another material. Although documentation is sparse, it is generally assumed by specialists in the field that such heads carved in ivory and intended to be inserted in a torso of a cheaper material are more characteristic of the later 1600s and 1700s. Given that so little is known about ivory carving in Sapin itself and the similarities with the products of ivory carving workshops in the Philippines, it is more likely that such heads (compare also 71.390 and 71.412) were carved in this Spanish colony where the Franciscans were so active.
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