Saint Michael the Archangel:
The gesso is unusually thin and has worn
through at the toes to reveal the wood beneath. Two holes
have been formed at the shoulder blades so that wings
could be attached. These holes reveal the process of the
original construction, with gessoed linen over wood. Paint
has chipped off in the folds of the tunic between the
legs, revealing the gold of the original polychrome. The
whole pattern of the polychrome of the left sleeve shows
through the later repainting. The statue is in good
condition, but the arms and clothing have been repainted
and there have been several repairs. The right leg seems
to have been reattached where the tunic begins. The
remaining wing has been patched onto the right, and a peg
shows where the left wing broke off. The helmet and sword
are recent.
Local Name: San Miguel
Arcángel
Basis for Identification: Sword,
armor, helmet, one wing; red knee-length tunic, green
surcoat, red boots.
Site: Basilica of
Santiago Cuilapan.
Location: Right of
the column in the south wall of nave (see note).
Media and construction: Repainted
polychrome. Hair: carved. Eyes: glass, no lashes.
Size: About 3 feet (90 cm.)
Comparable santos in Oaxaca: Achiutla1,
Achiutla2,
Achiutla3,
Achiutla4, Huitzo, Ocotlán,
Tamazulapan, Teotitlán,
Teposcolula1,
Teposcolula2, Teposcolula3,
Yanhuitlán, Yanhuitlán
Crucifix Group.
External Links:
Wikimedia Commons:
Statues
of St. Michael in Mexico
Catholic Encyclopedia: St.
Michael the Archangel
Wikipedia: Michael
(archangel)
Christian Iconography: Saint
Michael the Archangel
Next: Back
to the east end of the south wall of the nave, a statue of Our Lady of the
Rosary
Previous santo
Introduction to Santiago Cuilapan
Santos Home Page
Note: On
this
site,
references to the cardinal directions always assume
that the main altar is at the east end of the church,
the narthex or entry area at the west end, and the two
walls
of the nave on the
north and south. (The
nave is the long central section.)
Actual orientations may differ.
The photo shown here is licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
license. You are free to share or remix it on two
conditions: first, that you attribute it to the
photographers, Claire and Richard Stracke, without
implying any approval of your work on their part;
second, that if you alter, transform, or build upon
this photo, you may distribute the resulting work only
under the same or similar license to this one.
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