Object Details
- Luce Center Label
- Saint Patrick was a Roman citizen who was kidnapped by a band of Irish raiders and sold into slavery. After he escaped with the help of an angel, he felt called to return to Ireland and spread the Gospel. The snakes symbolize the pagan beliefs that St. Patrick drove out of Ireland and into the sea. His solemn expression and confident stance evoke the saint’s determination to spread God’s word even after enduring pain and imprisonment.
- Data Source
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Artist
- Frank Brito, born Albuquerque, NM 1922-died Santa Fe, NM 2005
- Date
- ca. 1960s
- Credit Line
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
- Medium
- carved and painted cottonwood
- Dimensions
- 13 x 5 x 4 3/4 in. (33.0 x 12.7 x 12.1 cm.)
- Type
- Sculpture
- Folk Art
