Apostle or Saint

Alonso Berruguete

ca. 1520s · Polychrome and gilt walnut · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The figure’s dynamic twist and its finish on three sides suggest that this sculpture stood on an outer corner of a retablos, or a multistoried altarpiece composed of sculptures and paintings. That larger ensemble, and the unidentified chapel or church of its origin, would have provided more clues to the bearded figure’s identity. Berruguete visited Italy in the age of Michelangelo and returned to Spain to become one of the country’s most important sculptors. His expressive figures, often represented in dramatic movement, stand at the head of that country’s centuries-long tradition of carved and painted sculpture.

Artist

Alonso Berruguete

Date

ca. 1520s

Medium

Polychrome and gilt walnut

Culture

Spanish, Valladolid

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of Fabrizio Moretti, in honor of Luke Syson, 2017