Vintage Brazilian Folk Art Carved St. Francis Plaque Signed Batista, Mid-1900s

  
Vintage Brazilian Religious Folk Art Carved and Painted Wood St. Francis Plaque, Signed Batista, Probably 1940's-60's. This exceptional folk art religious plaque is relief carved into a heavy tropical hardwood plank. Possibly a type of mahogany. It depicts Saint Francis who lived as a hermit and befriended birds and other wild creatures. His image is particularly revered in the Hispanic Southwest, and this piece was found locally. Online researching for the origin and artist of this carving, I used the keywords Batista wood carving. The search of images, I found three examples with the distinctive deep gouge carving. The Saint in this piece. Carving depicts Jesus, and the other.

Spirit figures surrounded by tropical foliage, implying the artist had some Native American roots. This piece is very appealing with a wonderful primitive quality and is highly suitable for display in both interior and protected outdoor settings. Condition: Very good with no structural damage.

The painted surfaces have some wear and in the lower areas of the piece there is loss to the varnish or shellac coating on the Saint's clothing, revealing the rich original blue paint. There are also four filled holes that were drilled for mounting some time in the past.

Dimensions: Hardwood plank: 32-3/4" tall x 13" wide.