The Trinity:
The statue's retablo is dated 1733. The
head and crown of the Father fit perfectly into its carved
shell pattern, suggesting that the statue is at least that
old. Beautifully made, the statue as well as the case are
simple in their composition, solid and naive in the
rendering of God the Father on his throne. Though not
naturalistic, the face conveys deep emotion as the Father
proffers his crucified Son.
The statue is dressed in full papal regalia of triple
crown, cope, and robe. The golden mantle is closed at
the chest. The external garment is decorated in large
red flowers on what may once have been a black
background. A 3 inch (8 cm.) band of
sky blue is painted about 6 inches (15 cm.) below the
knees. The garment is belted with a narrow red sash. The
sharp angles of the robes and the flat fall of the robe
between the knees are naïf, as are the oddly
jutting knees. The chair is painted red and is roughly
decorated with a folk tracery of gold flowers and stems.
Silk flowers and real flowers decorate the case.
The crown is painted with what appear to be stories
from Genesis on two tiers, and is topped by a simple
cross. It is carved as one with the head, sitting neatly
atop the short bangs and long back hair. The statue's
face is young and smooth with a dark beard, fine nose,
and small, closed mouth. The statue's glass eyes stare
straight ahead, fixedly and rather worriedly.
As is usual with such figures, the Father's hands are
held palm upwards at chest height to receive the cross
bar of the crucifix, whose vertical support rests on the
globe between the legs. The sky- blue orb is not full.
The bottom is flat and seems to be part of the base. The
crucifix is green and the tips are painted gold. It and
the globe are simpler than the statues themselves.
The glossy Christ figure is of wood, gesso and paint
and about 14 inches tall (36 cm.). All of the wounds are
indicated by flowing blood, but the rivulets painted on
the very old statues are not present. The head falls to
the right and the left hip juts out. The loincloth is
carved and painted. The figure wears a short wig. The
artist would not seem to be same as the one who
sculpt-ed the bird and the Father. The statue is more
conventional and may be newer.
The golden dove above the crucifix represents the Holy
Spirit and is about 8 inches tall (20 cm.). It is round
and solid and may be by the same artist as the Father.
Basis for Identification: Crucifix
on a mappa mundi
orb surmounted by a dove
and held up by the
Father, seated and wearing a triple
tiara and cope.
Site: Church of Santo
Domingo Díaz Ordaz.
Location: In a glass
case at the east end of the north wall of the nave
(see note).
Media and construction: Polychrome;
4' . Figure and chair are set
Size: The statue is about 4 feet
tall (120 cm.) and is on a carved and
polychromed slab about 3½ inches high (9 cm.).
Comparable santos in Oaxaca: Mitla, Santa Ana del Valle,
Tamazulapan,
Teitipac,
Teotitlán,
Tlacolula,
Xoxocotlán,
Yanhuitlán, Yanhuitlán
2.
External Links:
Wikimedia Commons:
Throne
of Mercy in Mexico
Catholic
Encyclopedia: The
Blessed Trinity
Wikipedia: Trinity
Christian Iconography: The
Trinity
Next: Also
at this end of the nave, a statue
of St. Joseph
Previous santo
Introduction to Santo Domingo
Díaz Ordaz
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.
|
