The saint stands frontally, in an accentuated S-curve stance, wearing a cloak with arched folds that break towards the bottom; he wears the typical pilgrim’s hat with the scallop shell, the emblem of St James.
The sculpture was created at the so-called Ljubljana sculpture workshop, which was active in central Slovenia from around 1445 to 1465/70. Formally, it retained the characteristics of the International Soft Style, but its masters were certainly also familiar with contemporary northern Italian, specifically Venetian, sculptural production, as evidenced by the accentuated physicality of the figures and the move away from the emphasis on beautiful facial expression.
During its first decade of activity, the Ljubljana sculpture workshop was linked to the Bistra Charterhouse and to Bishop Martin of Pićan (d. 1456), who occasionally resided there and in Ljubljana. In its second period, its activities were geographically concentrated on the estate of the Cistercian monastery at Stična. Nearly 30 sculptures have survived to the present day, mostly made of sandstone (from a quarry near Moravče owned by the Bistra Charterhouse since the beginning of the 15th century). Since contemporary archival documents from Ljubljana report on a family of artists that passed down their skills through three generations, it is thought that the Ljubljana sculpture workshop was initially led by Master Janez (documented in 1444, 1453 and 1462) and was taken over around 1460 by his son Gregor, who brought more energy and Venetian freshness to the stylistic expression.
Provenance: succursal Church of St James, Strahomer