Granada School; second half of the 18th century. "Saint Anthony Abbot". Carved, polychromed and gilded wood. It has vitreo paste eyes. It has faults in the carving and polychromy. Measurements: 54 x 25 x 18 cm. This devotional sculpture presents the image of a bearded old man, dressed in a dark coloured tunic on which the golden details stand out. Despite the loss of the figure's defining attributes, it is possible that due to his advanced age he represents Saint Anthony Abbot. According to legend, Saint Anthony Abbot was born in Egypt in 251, and at a very young age he retired to the solitude of the desert. The Antonine order was founded in the 11th century under the patronage of Saint Anthony as a holy healer. In order to maintain theirmendations and hospitals, the Antonines raised pigs. They enjoyed the privilege of letting their animals, recognisable by the bell that jingled on their necks, roam the streets of the villages and themunal lands. Hence one of the most popular attributes of the saint is a pig with a cowbell around its neck. Stylistically, it is clear that the present work is strongly influenced by 17th-century Baroque models from the Granada school, not only in the iconography, but also in the model chosen as an influence for it, in the decoration of the clothing, in the colouring, in the facial features, etc. The Granada school, which was strongly influenced by the Renaissance period, included great figures such as Pablo de Rojas, Juan Martínez Montañés (who trained in the city with the former), Alonso de Mena, Alonso Cano, Pedro de Mena, Bernardo de Mora, Pedro Roldán, Torcuato Ruiz del Peral, etc. In general, the school does not neglect the beauty of the images and also follows naturalism, as was ual at the time, but it would always emphasise intimacy and recollection in delicate images which would be somewhat similar to the rest of the Andalian schools in another series of details but which do not ually have the monumentality of the Sevillian ones. The work can be inscribed, specifically, in the stylistic circle of the Mora workshop (José and Diego). This was one of the most important workshops in Granada in the 17th century. The artistic legacy of this family of image-makers, which spanned from the last third of the 17th century to the second half of the 18th century, was a milestone in the Granada school. Influenced by the work of both Alonso Cano and Pedro de Mena, his influence led him to create a very personal and characteristic style.Dimensions: 54 x 25 x 18 cm.