Saint Barbara

Art Historical Context

This exquisite limewood sculpture of *Saint Barbara*, created by an unknown German artist around1510, captures the's serene piety in a compact yet commanding form, measuring 24 1/8 x 8 13/16 x 5 13/16 inches. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Medieval Art Department through the bequest of George Blumenthal in 1941, it the enduring tradition of wooden devotional figures in late medieval Germany. Saint Barbara, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, is revered as a protector against sudden death and lightning, often invoked by miners and soldiers—professions vital to the region's economy. C...