Southern Germany, first quarter of the 16th century, Saint Roch

Southern Germany, first quarter of the 16th century 

San Rocco

Polychrome wood, height. 114 cm

In the ranks of the Saints and the Blessed, Saint Rocco stands out for the unmistakable attributes that characterize his life of apostolate among the sick. In the present case the iconography is summarized in the stick, the sanrocchino, the hat and the wound on the left leg. The latter recalls the plague disease that the Saint contracted near Piacenza: it is a symbol of Christian charity. The stick instead recalls the long marches of the pilgrim: metaphorically it is a symbol of the pilgrimage of life, a journey towards the eternal. Unusually, in this sculpture the sanrocchino, a typical short canvas cloak to protect oneself from the elements, becomes a long red cloak: it is the symbol of divine protection. The sculpture, which can be dated to the first quarter of the 16th century, reveals a clear Nordic/Swabian origin, in all likelihood a southern German manufacture, as can be seen from the particularly wavy and wavy treatment of the hair, the falling edges of the headdress, the shoes and the analytical attention to highly realistic details.

San Rocco is counted as one of the miracle-working saints most venerated by the faithful: in the Middle Ages it was customary to invoke him during epidemics that frequently broke out. For this function of protector against the plague, the saint enjoyed considerable iconographic fortune, so much so that sculptures or paintings which recall his widespread devotion are often preserved in churches and chapels not dedicated primarily to him.

Born into a noble family in France, in Montpellier, he immediately demonstrated a desire to embrace poverty, so much so that he donated his possessions to the poor and set out on a pilgrimage to Rome. During the journey, a plague epidemic broke out, he dedicated himself to the care of the infected, becoming famous as a miracle worker. Upon his return from Rome, having fallen ill with the plague himself in the vicinity of Piacenza, not finding anyone willing to assist him, he took refuge in a forest, where he was cared for by an angel and a dog who every day brought him bread stolen from his family's table. rich master; for this reason the saint is often accompanied by the dog

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