Seated Saint Bishop blessing in poplar carved... Lot 29

Seated Saint Bishop blessing in poplar carved in the round with traces of polychromy. With mitred head, the saint raises his right hand in a hieratic attitude, sketching a gesture of blessing; his other hand (missing) must have been holding the crosier; handsome face with almond-shaped eyes stretched to the temples and short beard with symmetrical locks; he is clad in a chasuble with deep, supple folds falling in superimposed Vs over the chest and in a beak between the knees; reliquary cavity on the back. Panelled base. Haute-Auvergne, Saint-Flour, circa 1325/50 H. 68.2 cm - W. 24.5 cm - D. 18.6 cm Sole under the base. (some missing parts and restorations, notably to the fingers of the right hand) The creator of this beautiful Saint-Bishop is most likely the same person who sculpted the statue of Saint-Flour, patron saint of this Cantal town, formerly located in Saint-Pierre cathedral and now preserved in the Musée de la Haute-Auvergne (fig.). The features are very similar, with a short beard, slightly protruding ears and a fringe of hair above the forehead protruding from the mitre; the drapery is also identical. This Saint Bishop is thus a rare example of 14th-century statuary from Auvergne, following on from the famous Sedes sapientiae of the preceding period, whose hieratic, reliquary-like character it retains.