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ID #SA1211218
FOR SALE
£1,500
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Antique Italian Folk Art Wooden Statue of Saint Anthony of Padua
For sale by Pareglio & Ayres Antiques Interiors
for sale €1,755     $1,905
£1,500
Pareglio & Ayres Antiques Interiors

Pareglio & Ayres Antiques Interiors

Sellingantiques Verified Since Dec 2015
Browse dealers 158 items
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    Specialists in english and italian antiques
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Id #SA1211218
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Antique Italian Folk Art Wooden Statue of Saint Anthony of Padua

19th century
Description

A rare example of genuine ecclesiastical Italian folk art.

This is an early 19th-century sculpture of Saint Anthony of Padua (70 cm tall), hand carved from solid wood, likely lime wood.

The Saint is depicted in the traditional brown Franciscan tunic with a rope belt and rosary beads.

He holds a closed sacred book in his right hand, a traditional symbol of his profound theological knowledge.

The face of this statue is its most compelling folk-art element because it abandons the idealized "official" beauty for something deeply human. Its large, earnest eyes and regional character make the saint feel like a neighbour or a village elder, which was essential for local devotion. Furthermore, the face is where the highest level of detail is concentrated, including the tonsure (shaved scalp), which is finished with fine details. This "hierarchy of focus" is typical in folk art, where the most spiritually significant part of the figure—the head—receives the most personal attention.

Ecclesiastical folk art carries a unique, soulful weight precisely because of its inherent fragility. Its value lies in its sincerity; the artist wasn't concerned with a legacy or "art history," but with a direct, tactile connection to the divine. Because it wasn't built to last, it captures a raw, unpolished faith that permanent monuments often lose.

We believe that this statue is from the early 19th century or earlier.

This sculpture shows honest wear including, time worn patina, with loss to the thumb of his left hand.

Physical Dimensions
Height
70cm (27.56")
Width
21cm (8.27")
Depth
22cm (8.66")
Declaration

Pareglio & Ayres Antiques Interiors has dated this Carved Wooden Saint Statue to the 19th Century.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1211218
Dealers Notes

Unless individually specified, prices do not include delivery costs.

www.pareglioayresantiques.com

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Sizes: please contact us if you need a very accurate measurement to fit the item in a specific space or niche. Otherwise always allow 2 cm tolerance for each measurement.

Please be sure to check all the images as these form part of the description and do not hesitate to ask for more photos.

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This right to return applies to buyers located in the United Kingdom only.

Buyers have the right to ask to return an item purchased from us within 14 days of receiving the goods.

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Description
A rare example of genuine ecclesiastical Italian folk art.
“
This is an early 19th-century sculpture of Saint Anthony of Padua (70 cm tall), hand carved from solid wood, likely lime wood.
Pareglio & Ayres Antiques Interiors

The Saint is depicted in the traditional brown Franciscan tunic with a rope belt and rosary beads.

fig 1. An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book.
fig 1. Antique Italian Folk Art Wooden Statue of Saint Anthony of Padua

He holds a closed sacred book in his right hand, a traditional symbol of his profound theological knowledge.

The face of this statue is its most compelling folk-art element because it abandons the idealized "official" beauty for something deeply human. Its large, earnest eyes and regional character make the saint feel like a neighbour or a village elder, which was essential for local devotion. Furthermore, the face is where the highest level of detail is concentrated, including the tonsure (shaved scalp), which is finished with fine details. This "hierarchy of focus" is typical in folk art, where the most spiritually significant part of the figure—the head—receives the most personal attention.

fig 2. An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book.
fig 2. Antique Italian Folk Art Wooden Statue of Saint Anthony of Padua

Ecclesiastical folk art carries a unique, soulful weight precisely because of its inherent fragility. Its value lies in its sincerity; the artist wasn't concerned with a legacy or "art history," but with a direct, tactile connection to the divine. Because it wasn't built to last, it captures a raw, unpolished faith that permanent monuments often lose.

We believe that this statue is from the early 19th century or earlier.

This sculpture shows honest wear including, time worn patina, with loss to the thumb of his left hand.

Height
70cm (27.56")
Width
21cm (8.27")
Depth
22cm (8.66")
Date of Manufacture

Pareglio & Ayres Antiques Interiors has dated this Carved Wooden Saint Statue to the 19th Century.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1211218
Pareglio & Ayres Antiques Interiors
Pareglio & Ayres Antiques Interiors
Sellingantiques verified Since Dec 2015

Specialists in english and italian antiques

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Pareglio & Ayres Antiques Interiors Profile Page

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An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book.
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Archive I An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book.

Antique Italian Folk Art Wooden Statue of Saint Anthony of Padua

Archive II An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book. View II
Archive III An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book. View III
Archive IV An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book. View IV
Archive V An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book. View V
Archive VI An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book. View VI
Archive VII An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book. View VII
Archive VIII An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book. View VIII
Archive IX An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book. View IX
Archive X An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book. View X
Archive XI An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book. View XI
Archive XII An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book. View XII
Archive XIII An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book. View XIII
Archive XIV An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book. View XIV
Enlarged Archival View
Pareglio & Ayres Antiques Interiors

Pareglio & Ayres Antiques Interiors
Telephone 0755 4708628
Location
102 Wincheap
Canterbury
Kent
CT1 3RS
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/pareglio
Verified Since Dec 2015
Items For Sale 158
Items Sold 408
Pareglio & Ayres Antiques Interiors
Pareglio & Ayres Antiques Interiors
Verified Since Dec 2015
View Dealer Info
Location: 102 Wincheap, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 3RS, United Kingdom
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/pareglio
Verified
Dec 2015
For Sale
158
Sold
408
An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book.
Antique Italian Folk Art Wooden Statue of Saint Anthony of Padua
Ref: SA1211218
An antique carved wooden figure depicting Saint Anthony wearing a dark brown habit and holding a book.
Detail View 1
Detail View 2
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Archival Detail

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Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectSculptures & Statues
  • Period19th century
  • StyleItalian Folk Art
  • MaterialCarved Wood, Paint
  • ColourDark Brown
  • MotifsFranciscan habit, Tonsure haircut, Gospel book, Knotted rope belt
  • SizeH 70 cm (28 in) x W 21 cm (8 in) x D 22 cm (9 in)

An early 19th-century Italian folk art sculpture depicts Saint Anthony of Padua, hand carved from solid wood and finished in dark brown paint with white and pale flesh tones. The figure wears a traditional Franciscan habit with a knotted rope belt, a tonsure haircut, and holds a closed book in the right hand while standing on a multi-sided black base. Visible details include large earnest eyes, bare carved feet with painted toenails, and a loss to the thumb of the left hand alongside a time-worn patina. The sculpture measures 70 cm high, 21 cm wide, and 22 cm deep. Positioned on a sideboard top, this piece brings a rustic devotional element to domestic spaces. The sculptural form suits placement in a living room, hallway, or study, where the carved wooden texture and regional character complement traditional interiors.

FAQs

Italian folk art religious statues originated as hand-carved devotional objects created by local artisans for domestic chapels, parish churches, and private homes. These works reflect regional carving traditions, capturing Catholic iconography through simplified, expressive figurative styling rather than formal academy proportions.

Artisans typically carved these figures from locally sourced hardwoods or softwoods, such as walnut, pine, or lime wood. The carvings were often coated with gesso, painted with tempera or oil pigments, and occasionally detailed with inset glass eyes, real cord, or silver leaf accents.

Authentic period carvings display signs of natural age, such as hand-tool marks beneath the paint layer, craquelure or paint loss along high-touch surfaces, and shrinkage cracks in the wood grain. The underside of the base typically shows aged, unvarnished timber and irregular hand-hewn construction.

A carved wooden statue serves as a striking sculptural accent when placed on a sideboard, mantelpiece, or within an open shelving unit. Surrounding the object with minimalist neutral ceramics or contrasting textures helps highlight its carved form and aged painted patina.

Dust the carving gently using a soft, dry camel-hair brush to avoid flaking fragile paint or gesso layers. Keep the wooden sculpture away from direct sunlight, radiators, and damp environments to prevent timber warping and further pigment destabilisation.
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