Mussner G. Vincenzo Ars Sacra has been quite active online of late, treating us to some of their excellent sculptural works and what caught my attention in particular where some of their projects which involve some of the earlier martyrs and saints coming from the first half of the first millennium. Saints such as these are frequently much more difficult to find by comparison with their later medieval and post-medieval counterparts so it is always nice to run into examples of them. Perhaps we can be thankful that they are harder to come across for that may be one of the very reasons why a genuine woodcarving was chosen over a mass produced plaster or resin version.
The saints in question that I wish to show to readers today are St. Barbara (popularly known for the Advent tradition of "Barbara's Branches" and frequently depicted with a tower where she was kept by her father), St. Lucy (who, as part of her martyrdom under the Emperor Diocletian, had her eyes gouged out and thus is shown holding them), St. Antony the Great (one of the Desert Fathers, considered the father of monasticism), and finally St. Sebastian (who, like St. Lucy, was also martyred in the time of Diocleiian).
All of the works exhibit beautiful colour and form. If you're interested in seeing more of their work, visit their website or see them on social media.
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| St, Barbara |
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| St. Lucy |
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| St. Antony the Great |
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| St. Sebastian |
