Sculpture, Ecce Agnus Dei - 19th Century - 42 cm - Wood

Saint John the Baptist with the Mystic Lamb. Portuguese devotional sculpture, datable to the late 19th century, carved, sculpted, and polychromed, representing Saint John the Baptist in full length, accompanied by the Mystic Lamb. The saint stands upright, in a frontal yet slightly dynamic composition, with his head tilted and gaze lifted, giving the figure a contemplative expression. The face shows elongated features, painted eyes, short hair arranged in wavy locks, and a carefully delineated brown beard. Saint John wears a short tunic of a light tone, cinched at the waist with a cord, over which lies a sidewise animal skin painted in browns and blacks. This attire alludes to the saint’s life of penitence and solitude in the desert, constituting one of his most characteristic iconographic attributes. In his left hand he holds the Mystic Lamb, symbolic representation of Christ as the Agnus Dei. In his right hand he points to the lamb, in direct reference to the words spoken by Saint John the Baptist when he recognized Jesus: “Ecce Agnus Dei” — “Behold the Lamb of God.” The figure also holds a long processional cross, formed by a simple staff topped by a horizontal crossbar. Hanging from it is a red pennant, cut at the lower edge and ornamented with the painted inscription: “ECC. AGNUS DEI.” The inscription is an abbreviated form of the Latin expression traditionally associated with the saint’s iconography. The Lamb rises against the left arm of the figure, with its head raised and its fur worked through by small incisions and brushstrokes in yellowish, ochre, and brown tones. The sculpture rests on an elevated base, roughly rectangular in shape with a rounded top, simulating rocky ground or vegetation. The base features marbleized polychromy in green, brown, and ochre tones, ending in a smooth black socle. The simplified treatment of the anatomy, the frontal composition, the naïve expression of the face, and the folk-like polychromy allow the piece to be framed within the tradition of Portuguese religious imagery from regional production, likely intended for domestic devotion, chapels, small altars, or processional spaces. Portugal, late 19th century. Carved, sculpted, and polychromed wood. Height: 42 cm.