St. Peter the Apostle

Church of the Virgen de la Navidad
Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico
St. Peter the Apostle (Triple crown; keys in right hand, triple cross in left; bearded, mature face; purple chasuble).

Wood, gesso, paint; glass eyes with some eyelashes remaining, carved hair; sculpted teeth, some missing; paper crown; fabric garments; approx. 5 feet tall. The fabric of the chasuble is woven with symbols of the Trinity. This same fabric appears in blue on the trousers of Santiago at Cuilapan and in red on the another San Pedro at Teotitlán.

The hands are badly damaged, and the keys and cross are tied onto them. The crown is held on by a yellow ribbon at the chin. A heavy knot between the eyes and a sad downward turn of the mouth make the face seem pained. The tips of the crosspieces on the triple cross are painted silver.

More of St. Peter

Photo: Claire and Richard Stracke. This photo is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.