Female Saint (Barbara?)

Entry

IIn 1875, the Dutch government acquired over 800 objects from Antonius Petrus (‘Antoon’) Hermans.¹ on behalf of the then recently opened Nederlandsch Museum van Geschiedenis en Kunst in The Hague. Ten years later, this museum was integrated as part of the newly built Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The Hermans-Smits acquisition included earthenware, glass, silver and brass objects, and furniture, as well as approximately seventy works of sculpture. Many of these sculptures were of inferior quality, to which this unremarkably executed statuette, in very poor condition and repainted, attests.

This Female Saint is wearing a skirt, with above it a low-cut bodice over a chemise. A knotted sash hangs at the waist. The open cloak hangs down from her shoulders, but wraps across the waist and over her skirt, thus resembling a long apron. Long, curly hair emerges from beneath the turban on her head. On the basis of her raiment, this work can be dated to the first quarter of the sixteenth century. When recorded in the museum’s inventory, this book-toting figure was identified as St Barbara. This cannot be confirmed with certainty, however, as the attribute held in the saint’s right hand – in most cases Barbara’s tower – is missing. Considering the sculpture’s modest dimensions, it was likely intended for private devotion. Leeuwenberg catalogued this piece as a work originating from the Northern Netherlands. In light of her endearing face and the manner in which the cloak is draped across the body, however, one cannot rule out a possible origin in Brabant, perhaps Mechelen.²

Bieke van der Mark, 2024