“ Holy
Trinity ”… original title unknown.
painted
and sculpted wood.
72cm
high x 29cm wide x 19cm deep.
Signed
lower right back, “ G T NEPO .. 1935. ”
Description.
This is a very interesting
depiction of the Holy Trinity by Nepomuceno. It is an intriguing
composition of the three, clustered into one, very representative
of the Biblical teaching of the Trinity, the three are one.
It shows God the Father
standing tall in full regal splendour with Christ crucified on the
cross in front of Him.
God the Father is dressed in a
white long tunic with a red cloak over His shoulders and it is caught
in the front.
He is wearing a thee crowned
tiara on His head.
His hair is long and curly and
falls onto his shoulders.
He has a beard and His gaze is
straight ahead, as if lost in the agony and death of His beloved Son.
The feet of God the Father can
be seen under the robe and they are uncovered.
God the Father is holding the
cross on which Jesus was crucified, His hands are clearly seen
holding the cross.
Christ on the cross is
presented dead and bleeding, the nails are visible in His hands and
feet and the piercing of the spear can be clearly seen on the left
side of His chest.
The Holy Spirit is portrayed
as the dove and forms the top of the cross, with its wings
outstretched.
It certainly does give a real
sense of the time when Christ hung on the cross and was carrying all
the sins of mankind.
Yet even in this lost and
lonely time God the Father is depicted in this sculpture as still
with Christ, supporting Him by holding up this terrible cross.
It is a wonderful portrayal of
the Holy Trinity together at the climax of the ages, the death of
Christ.
Jesus Christ on cross is
wearing a loin cloth, it is not the romantic Christ represented here,
but the dead Christ shown, dying for mankind.
The Holy Spirit is very nicely
carved and painted blue.
It is very interesting how the
Holy Spirit is carved into the cross and even is the top of the cross
with His wings outstretched.
The other very interesting
fact is how the hands of God the Father are under the cross holding
it up and how the cross becomes part of the front of the cloths of
God the Father.
This sculpture not only is a
beautiful piece but it tells an amazing story of the salvation of
mankind and told in a wonderful descriptive way, showing the Holy
Trinity, all present at the time of the crucifixion.
The base is eight sided and
relief carved and painted black and green.
Distinguishing
marks.
The sculpture is signed at the
bottom left side of the back on the robe,
“ GT NEPO. 1935. ”
The base is relief carved on
the front and sides, but not carved on the back.
The sculpture is in good
repair considering its age and there are no visible repairs.
The cross is set into the
front of God the Fathers tunic and the Holy Spirit is also set into
the cross.
Written by,
Mark Shellshear.
Art consultant.
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