St. Stephen
Loading...
Authors
Stefano da Putignano
Date
Type
Image
Language
Keyword
St. Stephen
Alternative Title
Abstract
Today, this sculpture of St. Stephen by Stefano da Putignano is found in a niche on the left side of the Church of Sant'Antonio, in Martina Franca. The sculpture was likely previously located on the high altar of the church, which was dedicated to St. Stephen upon its completion in 1497. A relic was originally placed in the cavity located in the centre of St. Stephen's chest. Gesturing upwards with his right hand, St. Stephen looks heavenward with an expression of awe. The realisically carved censer adds to the sense of that the saint could come alive, as in the Renaissance deacons would have worn similar robes and swung censers during ceremonies. Thus the statue evokes multisensory religious ritual, with the including the sweet smell of incense. The sculpture, which stylistically resembles Stefano da Putignano's sculpture of St. Anthony in the same church, has been crudely repainted and the inscription on its base has been almost completely lost (the remaining ""HOC [...] OIZA"" likely referring to the patron). Assuming, however, that it was completed at the same time as the sculpture of St. Anthony, it too can be dated to 1518. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Description
Sant'Antonio, Martina Franca
Citation
Clara Gelao, Stefano da Putignano ""virtuoso"" scultore del rinascimento (Bari: Mario Adda, 2020), 115; Clara Gelao, Stefano da Putignano nella scultura pugliese del rinascimento (Fasano di Brindisi: Schena, 1990), cat. 27, p. 101.