Click on the objects in the image for descriptions
hard Philp Gallery
English (Nottingham)
St James
15th century
Nottingham Alabaster
Height: 127 cm
The image of St James-the-Great can be identified by his scroll and the shells shown down his front; James's emblem was the scallop shell (or "cockle shell") and pilgrims to his shrine identified themselves by wearing his symbol on their hats or clothes.
This large and impressive sculpture is carved in Nottingham alabaster, a stone used due to its special qualities: ease of working a soft material and a resulting translucent surface. These sculptures were normally executed in large workshops of sculptors and exported throughout England and Europe.
Sold