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Saint Ignatius Loyola with an angel holding a book

ca. 1722
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 550
Cofounders of the Society of Jesus, Saints Ignatius Loyola (1491–1556) and Francis Xavier (1506–1552) were canonized together in 1622. These two sculptures may well have been made to mark the hundredth anniversary of their canonization. Saint Ignatius is distinguished by his heartshaped face and the Latin motto of the society, “AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM” (for the greater glory of God), displayed on the pages of the book held by the angel beside him. Saint Francis has a walking staff, sign of the peripatetic missionary, and parts his short cape, the mantellina, near his heart, an allusion to his frequent moments of mystical union with God. The two saints are conceived in a conservative spirit, retaining the long, slowly unwinding movements of late sixteenth-century Venetian sculpture, to which Francesco Bertos added brisk, shimmery tooling. It is chiefly the frolicsome demeanor and retroussé noses of the attendant angels that bespeak Bertos, usually seen as a confectioner of quasiacrobatic groups, whether of bronze or marble. These well-ponderated saints, which must have flanked a Jesuit altar of Baroque splendor, stand out as the best of his figures.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Saint Ignatius Loyola with an angel holding a book
  • Maker: Francesco Bertos (Italian, 1678–1741)
  • Date: ca. 1722
  • Culture: Italian, Padua
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): H. 24 5/8 x W. 13 7/8 x D. 4 5/8 in., 32lb. (62.5 x 35.2 x 11.7 cm, 14.5151kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture-Bronze
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Assunta Sommella Peluso, Ignazio Peluso, Ada Peluso and Romano I. Peluso Gift, 2010
  • Object Number: 2010.113
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

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Saint Francis Xavier with an angel holding a crucifix, Francesco Bertos Italian, Bronze, Italian, Padua
Saint Francis Xavier with an angel holding a crucifix
Francesco Bertos
ca. 1722
Inkwell with three putti, Francesco Bertos Italian, Bronze, with remains of black lacquer, Italian, Padua
Inkwell with three putti
Francesco Bertos
probably 1738
Saint Daniel of Padua Nailed between Two Planks of Wood, Francesco Bertos Italian, Bronze, Italian, Padua
Saint Daniel of Padua Nailed between Two Planks of Wood
Francesco Bertos
Tiziano Aspetti
ca. 1740–50
Saint Daniel of Padua dragged by a horse before the Roman governor of Padua, Francesco Bertos Italian, Bronze, Italian, Padua
Saint Daniel of Padua dragged by a horse before the Roman governor of Padua
Francesco Bertos
Tiziano Aspetti
ca. 1740–50
Winter, Jean Antoine Houdon French, Bronze, French, Paris
Winter
Jean Antoine Houdon
1787

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