Saint Anne Image Made by Aleijadinho
Ouro Preto/MG
Description:The Imagem de Santana de Autoria do Aleijadinho (Saint Anne Image Made by Aleijadinho) is inside Saint Anne Chapel, located in the Chapada Settlement, which belongs to Antônio Dias, in the municipal district of Ouro Preto. The authorship of the statue is attributed to one of the craftsmen of Antônio Francisco Lisboa, known as Aleijadinho, and belongs to the third phase of his work, between 1791 and 1812. It is a gilded and multicoloured wooden structure, with the following dimensions: 80cm high, 37cm wide and 40cm deep. It represents Saint Anne sitting in a tall red chair. On her right side is Virgin Mary as a child. The mother wears a tunic and a biblical mantle in beige-ochre shades and a white veil covers her head. The daughter wears a tunic and a mantle in blue and red shades, with gilt work in its trimming. Saint Anne is the protector of conception and of the blacks, and her image is frequent in couples’ rooms in Minas Gerais. She is also the miners’ patroness for having given birth to Virgin Mary, who is often compared to gold and precious stones. The great disproportion between the mother’s and daughter’s figure stands out. Their clothes are carved in straight lines and give no movement to the figures. This sculpture was made in cedar-wood in many parts, and has rabbet hands. The child was carved separately, as was the back of the chair. The wood colours are worn down. The gilding vestiges were damaged by the removal of the paint. Saint Anne has an opening for the resplendence. The girl wears a silver crown. Mary’s right hand has been recently made.
Situation:This sculpture belongs to the Our Lady of Conception Antônio Dias Parish and is under canonic jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Mariana. In 1961, it was restored by Jair Afonso Inácio. The successive layers of repaintings that covered the original painting were removed. A wooden support that had been inadequately added to increase the sculpture height in 10cm was also removed. Probably in the same period in which this support was made, Mary’s right hand was also made, and it was not removed. According to the data from a fieldwork done in 2003, this statue is in a good state of conservation.
Inventory information:This sculpture was listed on October 14, 1987, process 1162-T-85, registration number 588, in the Fine Arts Book, vol. 2, p. 13.
