Saint Michael (San Miguel)
- unknown artist
Unknown artist, Saint Michael, about 1700. Carved wood with paint, gold leaf, and silver attributes; 2⅜ × 11½ × 11¼ in. Gift of the Collection of Frederick and Jan Mayer, 2013.399A-F.
As in Europe, the statues in altarscreens (retablos) of Latin America were carved of wood. Fabric areas were treated with a technique known in Spanish as estofado, in which tissue-thin sheets of hammered gold were applied to a red gesso ground. Next, paint was applied over the gold leaf. Then the paint layer was stamped or etched through to reveal the gold underneath, in imitation of the elaborate brocade fabrics of the period. Areas depicting skin, such as the faces and hands, were created using a different technique known as encarnación, in which white gesso was painted in flesh tones, shellacked, and gently sanded. The process was repeated until the buildup of layers achieved a glowing surface imitating real skin.
This statue of St. Michael is transitional between the early and late Baroque styles of Mexico. The somewhat stocky body proportions and relatively large head are typical of the 1600s, but the movement in the lower portion of the robe and the painted decoration on it are typical of the 1700s. The statue may have been made in the late 1600s and the surface repainted in the 1700s, as was common. The silver accoutrements are typical of Spanish Colonial sculpture, but frequently do not survive.
– revised by Kathryn Santner, Frederick and Jan Mayer Fellow of Spanish Colonial Art, 2023