- Place made
- Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany
- Medium
- paint, gesso, cloth on wood
- Dimensions
- 97.0 x 33.0 x 24.0 cm
- Credit line
- Morgan Thomas Bequest Fund 1951
- Accession number
- S86
- Provenance
- Art and Antique Merchants, London 1951; from whom bought by HD Molesworth on behalf of AGSA
- Media category
- Sculpture
- Collection area
- European paintings
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WALL LABEL: St Roch c.1510-1530
Also often invoked to protect against plague, St Roch is the patron saint of dogs and is usually depicted with both elements. In this case, the dog is readily recognisable by the saint’s side, but his role in protecting against the plague is less clear. With the saint’s leg extended and his robe lifted, we could ordinarily expect to see evidence of a healed plague bubo on his thigh. Unfortunately, centuries of paint loss and overpainting have made it impossible to discern any evidence of the disease.
When carved in the sixteenth century, this work was designed to be viewed from the front and may well have hung high in a chapel. However, on this occasion the work is shown in the round to give viewers a sense of the skill of the maker and to display the wonderful roughness of the original wooden carving.
Tansy Curtin, Curator of International Art Pre-1980
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Reimagining the Renaissance
Art Gallery of South Australia, 20 July 2024 – 13 April 2025