Wood Panel
Mission Panel in relief. Image of Saint Anthony w/ child. Oak wood. (possibly from the Bay Area)
- Object: Wood Panel
- Artist: -
- Circa: -
- Dimensions: 39cmW x 83cmH
- Culture Area: California
- Cultural Group: -
- Cultural Context: This is an email re a conversation with Katrina Foss,Museum Director Old Mission Santa Barbara 2201 Laguna Street Santa Barbara, CA 93105 805 682-4713 x150 sbmission@aol.com : Hi Christine-- Nice talking with you. To summarize our conversation: Time period This panel appears to be St. Anthony. Stylistically it is not Mission Era (1769-1836). Rather it appears to be a later work from the turn of the century --1900 give or take a decade or 2. I would say 1930s at latest but probably at earliest 1890-1920s. Iconography--Identification It appears to be wood, hand carved, and simplistic (see lack of definition of fingers etc.). It is not the usual depiction of St. Anthony as he is usually shown facing forward with the Christ child on his left arm. This pose lends itself to the bas relief format of the artwork. The most common Franciscan devotional images would be St. Francis and St. Anthony (San Antonio). Francis is usually depicted with a cross not the Christ Child and with stigmata on the hands. It is part of the iconography of San Antonio to hold the Christ Child. Provenance: clues from style to heresay If the provenance you were given is correct, and it is from Mission Santa Barbara, then I suspect it would have been made as a devotional object by a German American Franciscan. They arrived here in the 1880s when the Mexican Franciscans could no longer staff the Californias and were replaced by friars from St. Louis Mo. who were mostly 1st generation German Americans. To me the piece is more Germanic than Hispanic. I might deem it unfinished due to its simplicity except for the fact that it shows traces of painted finish--both the blue on the Christ Child's clothing to the yellow/green that may be a faded brown tone on the friar's habit (clothing). It is not a piece described in our catalogue or known to me in another way. I will show it to some of the elder friars and see if anyone has anything to add and recognizes the piece, Of course, I have not seen the actual piece so this is my general view from photographic evidence. Hope this is of some help. --Tina Foss
- Donor: Warren and Maile Arnold
- Catalog #: 113.019