St. Roche
Loading...
Authors
Paolo Catalano da Cassano, attr. to
Date
Type
Image
Language
Keyword
St. Roche , San Rocco , plague
Alternative Title
Abstract
This statue of St. Roche is located in a niche in the presbytery of SS. Cosma e Damiano in Polignano a Mare, across from a statue of St. Sebastian by the same artist. St. Roche holds a pilgrim's staff, and a large rosary is slung across his chest. With his right hand, which is partially broken, he lifts his tunic to expose the mark of the plague on his leg. Perhaps the missing finger pointed directly to the wound. The attention paid to his garments, as well as the distinctive square shape of his face, his wavy hair, and wide-set eyes, are typical of both the style of Stefano da Putignano (to whom this work was previously attributed) and the early work of Paolo Catalano da Cassano, a sculptor who achieved enough fame in his day to sign his mature works with only his first name, PAVLVS, the rest being superfluous. Paolo began as a follower of Stefano da Putignano, and so his early work is difficult to distinguish from that of the other master, though his later work differs in style. The expert in the sculpture of the period, Prof. Clara Gelao, had previously attributed this St. Roche and the St. Sebastian in the same church to Stefano da Putignano but now argues that it is the work of Paolo, based on the similarity to Paolo's sculptures of the same two saints in Aquaviva delle Fonti (signed and PAVLVS CATALANVS and dated 1504). The meticulously sculpted beads, knots on his string belt, and satchel by his side make this statue naturalistic, but also serve as a virtuoso demonstration of the sculptor's ability to mimic different materials using stone. Neatly dressed for the most part, Roche's leggings slouch to reveal his sore, and his toes poke out from his well-worn shoe, suggesting how far he has walked on pilgrimage. It is unclear as to whether the statue has been cleaned since the 1990s, when Gelao observed that the statue had been overpainted. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Description
Ss. Cosma e Damiano, Polignano a Mare
Citation
Clara Gelao, Stefano da Putignano ""virtuoso"" scultore del rinascimento (Bari: Mario Adda, 2020), 201-6; Clara Gelao, Stefano da Putignano nella scultura pugliese del rinascimento (Fasano di Brindisi: Schena, 1990), cat. 4, p. 59.