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Beginning of the 17th century - High period
France - North
Information:
Saint Barbara would have lived from the second half of the 3rd century to the beginning of the 4th century in Bithynia or Phenicia according to the sources, under the reign of the Emperor Diocletian. His father, Dioscorus, is said to have been a wealthy pagan aedile of Phoenician origin. Faithful to her Christian faith, Barbe would have died martyred under the Emperor Maximian. According to the legend, her father decides to marry her to a man of his choice; she refuses and decides to consecrate herself to Christ. Outraged, his father locked him in a tower with two windows.
But a Christian priest, disguised as a doctor, enters the tower and baptizes her. When her father returns from a trip, Barbe tells him that she has drilled a third window in the wall of the tower to represent the Holy Trinity and that she is a Christian. Furious, the father sets fire to the tower. Barbe manages to escape but a shepherd discovers her hiding place and informs her father. The latter drags her before the Roman governor of the province, who condemns her to torture.
As the young girl refuses to recant her faith, the governor orders the father to cut off his daughter's head himself. She is first tortured: certain parts of her body are burned and her breasts are torn off. But she still refuses to recant her faith. Dioscorus beheads her but is immediately punished by Heaven: he dies struck by lightning. As for the shepherd who denounced her, he is turned into stone and his sheep into locusts. When the Christians come to ask for the body of the young martyr, not wanting either to use her pagan first name or to reveal herself by using her Christian baptismal first name, they can only speak of her as "the young barbarian woman", hence the name of Barbara given to him.
Superb wooden panel carved in low relief representing Saint Barbara, holding a tower in her hand.
Beautiful patina of time, the back of the panel has traces of very old resinous glue.
Perforated in some places (see photos)
Solid panel, Steel foot made by an art blacksmith.
Dimensions:
Panel height: 26.5 cm
Panel width: 16 cm
Height on foot: 31 cm
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