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Saint Martin
Saint Martin
Date: ca. 1450-1475
Dimensions:
H 118.5 x W 94 x D 34.5 cm (H 46 11/16 x W 37 x D 13 9/16 in.)
Medium: Wood (cherry), polychromy and estofado
Credit Line: Acquired by Archer M. Huntington for the Hispanic Society, 1927.
Place Made:Spain, Cacabelos, León
Period: Medieval
Culture: Spanish
Not on View
DescriptionAnonymous Hispano-Flemish Sculptor
Saint Martin, ca. 1450–75
Polychromed wood, 118.5 × 94 × 34.5 cm
New York, The Hispanic Society of America, D91
PROVENANCE: Cacabelos (León) [?]; Conde de las Almenas, until 1927; acquired by Archer M. Huntington, New York, for The Hispanic Society of America, 1927
The statue depicts a celebrated miracle from the life of Saint Martin of Tours (ca. 316?–97). Although the son of pagan parents in the Roman Empire, he was attracted to Christianity and wished to convert. While serving in the Roman army, he found himself in modern-day France. Outside Amiens, he beheld a beggar shivering in the cold, and moved by compassion, he split his cloak in two to share it with the man. As recounted in the Golden Legend, Christ appeared to Martin in a dream that evening, holding up the half of the cloak Martin had given the beggar and saying “[see] what Martin has given me,” thus informing the soldier that the beggar was Christ himself. Shortly after the event, the future saint left the Roman army and was baptized. He took up a religious career, eventually becoming the bishop of Tours. After his death, Saint Martin enjoyed widespread veneration and the part of the cloak that he had kept would become one of the French monarchy’s most cherished relics.
The story appealed to Christians as an example of charity while also serving as an example for knights and nobles. Some sense of the subject’s popularity can be gleaned from the numerous images which Northern printmakers such as Hans Baldung (1484/85–1545) and his followers created in the 16th century, images which in turn further disseminated the saint’s fame. Dating from the second half of the 15th century, the Hispanic Society statue is among the earliest examples from Spain while other contemporary examples appear in Catalonia, Zaragoza and Valencia. Saint Martin’s costume of hat, cape and skirt are all consistent with other images from the period. These examples occurred in painted and sculpted altars, thereby suggesting that the Hispanic Society statue was also intended for such a setting. The sculptor has carved the horse and saint completely in the round yet left their backs without much detail, which strongly suggests he intended to place it in such a setting where these surfaces would not be visible. The carving of the saint reveals a talented sculptor who renders the delicate surfaces of the face, hair and costume with skill. As the saint concentrates on his task, he does not, however, move with the ease that later artists would depict. The horse by contrast presents a very stylized appearance that has a charm of its own. Because other examples almost always include the figure of the beggar, his absence here is notable and raises the question that perhaps he was a separate figure which has been lost over time. PL
Texto en Español:
Esta figura representa un célebre suceso de la vida de san Martín de Tours (h. 316 [?]-397). Martín, hijo de padres paganos, se sentía atraído por el cristianismo y deseoso de abrazar la fe. Servía como soldado del Imperio romano en lo que hoy es Francia cuando a la puerta de Amiens vio a un mendigo que tiritaba de frío y, compadecido, partió en dos su capa para darle la mitad. Refiere La Leyenda Dorada que aquella noche Cristo se le apareció en sueños y, mostrándole la mitad de la capa que había dado al mendigo, le dijo: «Mira lo que me ha dado Martín», dándole así a entender que el mendigo era el mismo Cristo. Poco después el futuro santo abandonó el ejército y se bautizó; entró en la vida religiosa y llegó a ser obispo de Tours. Su veneración se extendió tras de su muerte y la parte de la capa que había conservado para sí fue una de las reliquias más preciadas de la monarquía francesa.
La historia de san Martín se divulgó entre los cristianos como ejemplo de caridad y modelo para los caballeros y nobles. De la popularidad que alcanzó puede dar idea el elevado número de imágenes que grabadores norteños como Hans Baldung (1484/85-1545) y sus seguidores crearon en el siglo XVI, imágenes que a su vez extendieron aún más la fama del santo. La talla de la Hispanic Society, que data de la segunda mitad del siglo XV, es uno de los primeros ejemplos españoles del tema, junto a otros contemporáneos que se han encontrado en Cataluña, Zaragoza y Valencia. La indumentaria de san Martín, sombrero, capa y saya, concuerda con la de otras imágenes de la época. Esas obras se encontraban en retablos pintados y esculpidos, lo que induce a pensar que también la talla de la Hispanic Society iba destinada a ese tipo de entorno. El escultor ha tallado al santo y su caballo en bulto redondo, pero sin detallar apenas la vista posterior de la pieza, por lo que parece probable que su destino fuera un emplazamiento donde esas superficies no quedaran a la vista. La plástica del santo revela a un entallador de gran calidad, capaz de ejecutar con pericia las delicadas superficies del rostro, el cabello y la vestimenta. Martín se nos muestra concentrado en su acción, aunque no se mueve con la naturalidad que lograrían artistas posteriores. El caballo presenta, en contraste, un aspecto muy estilizado que tiene su encanto. En esta escena es casi de rigor la figura del mendigo, de modo que aquí su ausencia nos lleva a preguntarnos si esta no sería una figura independiente que con el paso del tiempo se perdió. PL
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
BYNE ET AL. 1927 Arthur Byne, Mildred Stapley Byne, and Ercole Canessa, Important Medieval and Early Renaissance Works of Art from Spain: Sculptures, Furniture, Textiles, Tapestries, and Rugs; Collection of Conde de las Almenas, Madrid Spain. New York: American Art Association, 1927, pp. 210-11, no. 358
PROSKE 1932 Beatrice Gilman Proske, Catalogue of Sculpture. Thirteenth to Fifteenth Centuries in the collection of The Hispanic Society of America. New York: The Hispanic Society of America, 1932, pp. 179-82
HISPANIC SOCIETY OF AMERICA 1938 The Hispanic Society of America Handbook: Museum and Library Collections. New York: The Hispanic Society of America, 1938, pp. 73-74
HISPANIC SOCIETY OF AMERICA 1954 History of the Hispanic Society of America: Museum and Library, 1904–1954. New York: The Hispanic Society of America, 1954, p. 175
LENAGHAN ET AL. ( EDS. ) 2000 Patrick Lenaghan, Mitchell A. Codding, Mencía Figueroa Villota, and John O’Neill (eds.), The Hispanic Society of America. Tesoros. New York: The Hispanic Society of America, 2000, pp. 156-57, no. 27
VILLAVICENCIO GARCÍA ( DIR. ) 2015 Abraham Villavicencio García, La monarquía hispánica en el arte [Exh. Cat., Mexico City, Museo Nacional de Arte, July–October 2015]. Mexico City: Museo Nacional de Arte, 2015, pp. 194-95, no. 103
CODDING ( ED. ) 2017 Mitchell A. Codding (ed.), Tesoros de la Hispanic Society: Visiones del mundo hispánico. Madrid, New York: Museo Nacional del Prado, The Hispanic Society of America, 2017, pp. 160-61, no. 58
CODDING ( ED. ) 2018a [Spanish edition] Mitchell A. Codding (ed.), Tesoros de la Hispanic Society of America. Mexico City, New York: Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, The Hispanic Society of America, 2018, pp. 148-49, no. 58
CODDING ( ED. ) 2018b [English edition] Mitchell A. Codding (ed.), Visions of the Hispanic World: Treasures from The Hispanic Society Museum & Library. New York: The Hispanic Society of America, 2018, no. 58
Saint Martin, ca. 1450–75
Polychromed wood, 118.5 × 94 × 34.5 cm
New York, The Hispanic Society of America, D91
PROVENANCE: Cacabelos (León) [?]; Conde de las Almenas, until 1927; acquired by Archer M. Huntington, New York, for The Hispanic Society of America, 1927
The statue depicts a celebrated miracle from the life of Saint Martin of Tours (ca. 316?–97). Although the son of pagan parents in the Roman Empire, he was attracted to Christianity and wished to convert. While serving in the Roman army, he found himself in modern-day France. Outside Amiens, he beheld a beggar shivering in the cold, and moved by compassion, he split his cloak in two to share it with the man. As recounted in the Golden Legend, Christ appeared to Martin in a dream that evening, holding up the half of the cloak Martin had given the beggar and saying “[see] what Martin has given me,” thus informing the soldier that the beggar was Christ himself. Shortly after the event, the future saint left the Roman army and was baptized. He took up a religious career, eventually becoming the bishop of Tours. After his death, Saint Martin enjoyed widespread veneration and the part of the cloak that he had kept would become one of the French monarchy’s most cherished relics.
The story appealed to Christians as an example of charity while also serving as an example for knights and nobles. Some sense of the subject’s popularity can be gleaned from the numerous images which Northern printmakers such as Hans Baldung (1484/85–1545) and his followers created in the 16th century, images which in turn further disseminated the saint’s fame. Dating from the second half of the 15th century, the Hispanic Society statue is among the earliest examples from Spain while other contemporary examples appear in Catalonia, Zaragoza and Valencia. Saint Martin’s costume of hat, cape and skirt are all consistent with other images from the period. These examples occurred in painted and sculpted altars, thereby suggesting that the Hispanic Society statue was also intended for such a setting. The sculptor has carved the horse and saint completely in the round yet left their backs without much detail, which strongly suggests he intended to place it in such a setting where these surfaces would not be visible. The carving of the saint reveals a talented sculptor who renders the delicate surfaces of the face, hair and costume with skill. As the saint concentrates on his task, he does not, however, move with the ease that later artists would depict. The horse by contrast presents a very stylized appearance that has a charm of its own. Because other examples almost always include the figure of the beggar, his absence here is notable and raises the question that perhaps he was a separate figure which has been lost over time. PL
Texto en Español:
Esta figura representa un célebre suceso de la vida de san Martín de Tours (h. 316 [?]-397). Martín, hijo de padres paganos, se sentía atraído por el cristianismo y deseoso de abrazar la fe. Servía como soldado del Imperio romano en lo que hoy es Francia cuando a la puerta de Amiens vio a un mendigo que tiritaba de frío y, compadecido, partió en dos su capa para darle la mitad. Refiere La Leyenda Dorada que aquella noche Cristo se le apareció en sueños y, mostrándole la mitad de la capa que había dado al mendigo, le dijo: «Mira lo que me ha dado Martín», dándole así a entender que el mendigo era el mismo Cristo. Poco después el futuro santo abandonó el ejército y se bautizó; entró en la vida religiosa y llegó a ser obispo de Tours. Su veneración se extendió tras de su muerte y la parte de la capa que había conservado para sí fue una de las reliquias más preciadas de la monarquía francesa.
La historia de san Martín se divulgó entre los cristianos como ejemplo de caridad y modelo para los caballeros y nobles. De la popularidad que alcanzó puede dar idea el elevado número de imágenes que grabadores norteños como Hans Baldung (1484/85-1545) y sus seguidores crearon en el siglo XVI, imágenes que a su vez extendieron aún más la fama del santo. La talla de la Hispanic Society, que data de la segunda mitad del siglo XV, es uno de los primeros ejemplos españoles del tema, junto a otros contemporáneos que se han encontrado en Cataluña, Zaragoza y Valencia. La indumentaria de san Martín, sombrero, capa y saya, concuerda con la de otras imágenes de la época. Esas obras se encontraban en retablos pintados y esculpidos, lo que induce a pensar que también la talla de la Hispanic Society iba destinada a ese tipo de entorno. El escultor ha tallado al santo y su caballo en bulto redondo, pero sin detallar apenas la vista posterior de la pieza, por lo que parece probable que su destino fuera un emplazamiento donde esas superficies no quedaran a la vista. La plástica del santo revela a un entallador de gran calidad, capaz de ejecutar con pericia las delicadas superficies del rostro, el cabello y la vestimenta. Martín se nos muestra concentrado en su acción, aunque no se mueve con la naturalidad que lograrían artistas posteriores. El caballo presenta, en contraste, un aspecto muy estilizado que tiene su encanto. En esta escena es casi de rigor la figura del mendigo, de modo que aquí su ausencia nos lleva a preguntarnos si esta no sería una figura independiente que con el paso del tiempo se perdió. PL
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
BYNE ET AL. 1927 Arthur Byne, Mildred Stapley Byne, and Ercole Canessa, Important Medieval and Early Renaissance Works of Art from Spain: Sculptures, Furniture, Textiles, Tapestries, and Rugs; Collection of Conde de las Almenas, Madrid Spain. New York: American Art Association, 1927, pp. 210-11, no. 358
PROSKE 1932 Beatrice Gilman Proske, Catalogue of Sculpture. Thirteenth to Fifteenth Centuries in the collection of The Hispanic Society of America. New York: The Hispanic Society of America, 1932, pp. 179-82
HISPANIC SOCIETY OF AMERICA 1938 The Hispanic Society of America Handbook: Museum and Library Collections. New York: The Hispanic Society of America, 1938, pp. 73-74
HISPANIC SOCIETY OF AMERICA 1954 History of the Hispanic Society of America: Museum and Library, 1904–1954. New York: The Hispanic Society of America, 1954, p. 175
LENAGHAN ET AL. ( EDS. ) 2000 Patrick Lenaghan, Mitchell A. Codding, Mencía Figueroa Villota, and John O’Neill (eds.), The Hispanic Society of America. Tesoros. New York: The Hispanic Society of America, 2000, pp. 156-57, no. 27
VILLAVICENCIO GARCÍA ( DIR. ) 2015 Abraham Villavicencio García, La monarquía hispánica en el arte [Exh. Cat., Mexico City, Museo Nacional de Arte, July–October 2015]. Mexico City: Museo Nacional de Arte, 2015, pp. 194-95, no. 103
CODDING ( ED. ) 2017 Mitchell A. Codding (ed.), Tesoros de la Hispanic Society: Visiones del mundo hispánico. Madrid, New York: Museo Nacional del Prado, The Hispanic Society of America, 2017, pp. 160-61, no. 58
CODDING ( ED. ) 2018a [Spanish edition] Mitchell A. Codding (ed.), Tesoros de la Hispanic Society of America. Mexico City, New York: Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, The Hispanic Society of America, 2018, pp. 148-49, no. 58
CODDING ( ED. ) 2018b [English edition] Mitchell A. Codding (ed.), Visions of the Hispanic World: Treasures from The Hispanic Society Museum & Library. New York: The Hispanic Society of America, 2018, no. 58
Accession Number: D91
In Collection(s)