The sculpture is behind plexiglass...making good photos difficult. It depicts the saint in clerical garb holding a Bible at his side with his left hand and raising his right hand as he seems to be making a point speaking. A small child tugs at his waist.
The placard accompanying this work indicates:
"St. Toribius, Archbishop of Lima
Anonymous
Late 17th Century
Lima School, Peru
Cedar with estofado
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John Critcher Freyer for the
Frank Barrows Freyer Collection; 1974.339"
Wikipedia (
visit link) adds:
"Turibius of Mogrovejo (or Toribio Alfonso de Mogrovejo or Toribio von Lima) (16 November 1538 – 23 March 1606) was a Spanish missionary Archbishop of Lima.
Biography
Born in Mayorga de Campos, Valladolid, Spain, of noble family and highly educated, Turibius was named after another Spanish saint, Turibius of Astorga. He became professor of law at the highly reputed University of Salamanca. His learning and virtuous reputation led to his appointment as Grand Inquisitor of Spain by King Philip II on the Court of the Inquisition at Granada. During this time, he was ordained priest in 1578 and sent to Peru. He was named Archbishop of Lima, Peru, in May 1579.
He arrived at Paita, Peru, 600 miles (970 km) from Lima, on 24 May 1581. He began his mission work by travelling to Lima on foot, baptizing and teaching the natives. His favourite topic was: "Time is not our own, and we must give a strict account of it." Three times he traversed the 450,000 square kilometers (170,000 sq mi) of his diocese, generally on foot, frequently defenceless and often alone; exposed to tempests, torrents, deserts, wild beasts, tropical heat, fevers and sometimes threats from hostile tribes; baptizing and confirming nearly one half million souls, among them St. Rose of Lima and St. Martin de Porres.
He built roads, schoolhouses and chapels, many hospitals and convents, and at Lima, in 1591, founded the first seminary in the western hemisphere. He inaugurated the first part of the third Lima Cathedral on 2 February 1604.
Turibius assembled thirteen diocesan synods and three provincial councils. He was seen as a champion of the rights of the natives against the Spanish masters. "There was great opposition to Turibius from the governors of Peru whose authority he challenged," Elizabeth Hallam has written. "He learned local dialects so that he could communicate with–-and convert–-the native peoples, and he was a strong and effective champion of their rights."
Years before he died, he predicted the day and hour of his death. At Pacasmayo he contracted fever, but continued labouring to the last, arriving at Sana (or Saña) in a dying condition. Dragging himself to the sanctuary he received the Viaticum, expiring shortly after on 23 March 1606."