Jesus Carrying the Cross ("El Santo Nazareño")

Wood, gesso, paint; real hair, glass eyes; fabric robe; brass caps on the cross. 5½ feet tall (about 167 cm.).
Cuilapan, Oaxaca, Mexico

El Santo Nazareño, "The Holy Nazarene," is the name given in Oaxaca to santos like this. The face is bloodied in streaks running from the hairline. The crown of thorns is missing. The arms seem movable and the hands are carved so as to hold the cross, but they hang at hip level in front of the body.

The cross is approximately 3 feet long (91 cm.). It rests on the right shoulder and is rather unusual: wood and gesso painted in a design of gold grape clusters and grape leaves on a green background. The four ends of the cross have 4-inch brass caps. The two pieces are dowel-shaped.

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Photographed at the church by Claire and Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.