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Saint Nicholas of Bari
(18th and 19th Centuries )
Saint Nicholas, the mid 4th-century Bishop of Myra who was buried at Bari, is shown in his customary role as protector of children. The saint is of polychromed wood, with head and hands of ivory. He is portrayed holding an ivory cross and standing beside a praying child carved entirely of ivory. The wooden base rests on four depressed, conical, ivory feet. A hole drilled in the center of the base suggests that it was adapted from another work.
The top member of the ivory cross has been lost.
The base reads: SAINT NICHOLAS / POLYCHROME IVORY & WOOD / XVIITH CENTURY / GRUEL COLLECTION.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Léon Gruel, Paris; Henry Walters, Baltimore, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 10/24/1958 | Treatment | cleaned; coated |
Geographies
Italy (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H of figure: 6 1/8 in. (15.6 cm); H with base: 7 1/2 in. (19.1 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by William T. or Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
71.350